The Guardian

Parallel Story New Beginning Chapter 4: An Uncertain Destination

They started the march, and Aurora looked from behind at those wounded and tired people.

They cried for being saved, but also for those who died trying to defend them.

They were just a group of people who wished to go to a better place away from the constant clashes of the warlords.

Without the power to cross the sea that those powerful individuals controlled and without the strength to flee this continent.

A slow walk under her watch.

Had she been through this before?

Perhaps her thoughts did not wish to surface because it was not the time to decay and cry.

They advanced slowly in an aimless march, with a sad and gloomy atmosphere, while revealing fear.

Fear of creatures, fear of monsters, and fear of other militiamen attacking them.

Fear was the refugee’s companion and was an acquaintance of all... Even hers.

Was what she did right?

She didn’t know, she just moved as she did since she got here... Mechanically.

She would hear a call for help and she would move to solve it.

Saving people was fine, but she moved just for the sake of drowning her emotions and thoughts.

Did she succeed?

Only for a few hours before collapsing into a sea of tears and crying.

She was not strong; she was just a young girl whose dream of being a heroine was shattered by cruel and tragic reality.

No, maybe she was a murderer with blood on her hands and too many corpses on her back.

But wasn’t that the reality of this world?

In the Middle East, a war was being waged against demons and the recognized players were on both sides murdering their enemies and opponents.

She was no longer naïve and understood that in those war zones, there were innocent people, citizens of those fallen countries, trying to flee as refugees.

Death, blood, pain, and sorrow... That was the cruel reality.

As if not wanting the thoughts to flit through her mind, Aurora moved when the time came.

Lunch arrived and the women, children, and young men looked hungry.

Although they had supplies, it had never been too much, and they rationed.

The fighter got up even though the healing potions hadn’t taken effect yet.

Wiyghan Makeba was his name.

He was just a Rank-A refugee who wished to support his people.

The Warlord ‘Great Khan’ wanted to recruit him because he was strong and for that reason, the militiamen used his acquaintances when he rejected them... Chasing and killing them.

That fighter set out to hunt, and she helped him.

Realizing her blunder and recklessness.

The drowning of her emotions led her to make mistakes.

It wasn’t in saving people or getting on the bad side of a warlord who called himself ‘Great Khan’, it was the mistake of coming to help unprepared.

She had only taken her things and had tried to come as fast as possible, ignoring the fact that the people they were going to rescue might not be in the right condition.

She hadn’t even brought food for everyone.

The line between helping and causing trouble was fine, and she teetered on the latter.

They had a long walk ahead of them and it was a journey she hadn’t expected, showing that she hadn’t even thought about that possibility that should have been a given.

However, Aurora only grumbled a few times silently before she kept moving.

She had made a mistake today by not being prepared, but next time she wasn’t going to repeat it.

Makeba taught her how to track some animals and find edible fruits around.

Hiding under a tree or on the top, mushrooms in the darkness of a big rock.

Knowing the edible from the dangerous was something she struggled with, and Makeba taught her what he could as they finished the job.

Hunting was the easiest.

She was fast, and she knew it, her master, who hadn’t visited recently wishing he didn’t see her condition, praised her for it.

Her system, which had led her to meet her elderly master, was silent, perhaps not knowing how to comfort her or what to say.

She was no longer a child who, upon falling and scraping her knee, could be encouraged, comforted, and healed by her system.

No, now she had grown up and fallen.

A fall more painful than she had been able to imagine and one that her system could not heal.

Unwilling to reflect, she, upon returning to the temporary camp with the hunted animals, moved again to help prepare the food.

They had some utensils and differed from her, who were not at all prepared.

Skinning the animals and learning from the others, as if her friend could not resist her slowness, she joined in and, unlike her, Alice learned faster.

Yes, she should have brought things to feed her sister, after all, that glutton loved food.

Even though she was carrying a few bags of chips and didn’t like to share, in the end, she did, and Aurora could see a tragic and grief-stricken look on her face.

As if she had lost everything... That was the destroyed look her gluttonous sister gave, and Aurora let out a smile.

It was small, but she managed to surprise her friend... Her sister and made as if her tragic loss of chips had recovered.

“Next time I’ll bring a big stash... And a stash for my stash.”

Alice gave those words quietly as she watched others eat their snacks in front of her.

A rather hard look that made Aurora gave another smile and promised to reward her.

She had also failed her glutton by not having her fed as she deserved.

When it was time for lunch, she helped prepare with the others the meat from an antelope they managed to hunt from the area, and upon eating it, she found it tasteless.

As someone who had accompanied Alice to eat at different restaurants and as they were always alone, it could be said that she was... A spoiled child.

At least that was when it came to meals.

It wasn’t like it was disgusting. One could tell how experienced the cooks were at making something acceptable with what little they had and the downside was the lack of spices, which for those used to it was hard to pass up.

However, she didn’t complain and didn’t pout, eating what she was supposed to eat.

She had thought that her gluttonous sister, who was a ‘gourmet’, would frown at eating, but unlike her, that glutton was marveling.

One could tell she was lying and was giving a false impression, but it was impossible.

Alice was someone who was engrossed in her food with no need to hide anything, and this time, it was the same.

The day continued, and the march progressed slowly... Too slowly.

Walking through the small dry forests so normal in this area, through areas full of insects, snakes, and dangerous vipers, was an odyssey.

When the night caught up with them, she was tired... Not only because she was one of the three members who had some kind of strength, but the journey itself left her exhausted.

Unlike wandering alone where she had some comforts to herself, here she had to take care of more people.

Now on this mission, they were alone and there were no governments supporting them or other organizations offering help... Here she and Alice were on a mission that ended up becoming more difficult than she had imagined.

Arriving at night, she pulled out her tent that had the basic amenities and set it up.

It was two bedrooms and a bathroom, the latter the most valuable commodity in these desolate lands.

Although she wished to share her bedroom with everyone else, she was vehemently refused by Turay, who tried to arrange everything so as not to disturb her.

It was as if he did not wish to demand more from her than she had given, and Makeba agreed.

In the end, Alice gave up her bedroom so that the younger ones could rest in more comfort and she happily accepted that glutton who had a big smile as she wanted to sleep next to her.

Aurora was happy to receive her and it showed throughout the night.

With Makeba taking the first watch, she could not rest as she should have.

The nightmares came one after another as if they wanted to show her that this was hell... That she had fallen into the pit of despair.

When she awoke in the middle of the night crying, her sister held her comfortingly.

“Cry... You can cry, I’m here.” Alice murmured softly in her ear as she hugged her lovingly.

They didn’t have the same blood, but that glutton wasn’t just her best friend... She was her sister.

Sniffling and shaking in her arms, she tried to resist her tears, but her friend patted her back again.

“You can cry. No one will hear you,” she whispered softly, hiding the pain in her voice.

The entire room had been covered by her shadow and no noise could get out, but every noise could get in..... Isolating in place in a darkness that to her felt warm.

And she wept deeply.

Spending all her tears until she fell asleep again in the embrace of that glutton who was doing her best to try to help her.

When she woke up, it was morning and everyone was about to leave, without realizing it, she had fallen fast asleep and the only one who stood guard was Alice.

She apologized, but the others didn’t care and only Alice demanded to be invited to lunch.

Alice’s solemnity was such that it seemed as if she was demanding her soul be given up... Which made her expression relax a little.

The day began again and this time at noon, Makeba, who was carrying a radio, heard a call for help.

The other party was asking for help because the village was being attacked by creatures and it was a desperate plea, expressing utter hopelessness.

She moved.

She could not stand by and listen to the plea and, leaving Makeba behind to protect the people, she took Turay.

Despite her speed, she was late, late enough for quite a few people to die.

They were not only adults but old people and children... The cruelty of these lands was exposed when the creature Turay, called ‘Smilodon Fatalis’ attacked a village with other creatures.

As if she wished to let off steam, she killed all the creatures, while Alice accompanied her in that massacre.

That magical beast was Rank A, but it had intelligence and controlled other magical beasts of lesser strength.

The worst thing was that it liked human flesh, and it was for that reason that it attacked human settlements, choosing places where there were no ability users.

Cruelty was not only found in humans but also in magical beasts.

When they explained where they were going, the village chief looked at his ruined home and asked to join in.

After burying the corpses and her keeping most things of value, they joined the main force and five days later they were halfway there with over a thousand people in their group.

They started with fifty, but it only took five days for their group to inevitably increase.

Why and how?

Because she was strong.

That was the answer Turay gave her when he saw her stunned at the sheer number that had formed or when any village asked to join.

These lands were cruel.

Life was hard before the Great Cataclysm, but now... It was deadly.

Creatures, magical beasts, warlords, and their militiamen, temporary dungeons, and natural dungeons.

Lunatics, slavers, and cultists seeking sacrificial material.

In the face of such cruelty, the only relief was to be under someone strong, someone who seemed to cover the sky for them, preventing their suffering.

She could understand it, but the more time passed, the more she realized the difficulty of leading a large group.

Turay was in charge of talking to everyone, trying to organize things as best he could and, at the same time, calm the situation.

Makeba tried to create a group to defend everyone so that the weight on her back would lessen.

All the while she and Alice went everywhere hunting creatures, finding food, and stopping dangers.

Deaths happened... Snakes biting an old woman, malnutrition, heat stroke, fever, and other factors she had never imagined.

The only reason they could get through this cruelty was because she had potions, scrolls, and all sorts of healing items.

If anything, her father and mother gave her importance when they let her go out on her own, it was carrying items to protect herself or others.

Healing scrolls were common, and potions were many.

However, this showed her the difficulty of the task she was undertaking.

A solitary mission where there was no outside support.

The food could be dealt with because, while she was not good at distinguishing some foods from dangerous things, her system gave her some tips by talking for the first time in a long time, trying to help her.

Her space ring and her system that had a storage of its own could store everything edible and at the same time prevent it from rotting, thanks to its internal qualities.

Still, Aurora had sensed the atmosphere and knew things would blow up fast.

She did so after on the radio the ‘Great Khan’ demanded all the village and people around the former country ‘Chad’ to surrender and obey their new ‘lord’.

Those who did not accept would be killed and their homes burned.

This caused panic and although Turay tried to calm things down, he failed and everything exploded.

“Where are we going to be safe? No, they will come for us.”

Someone asked that question and because everyone already knew everyone’s story, they realized that the first group was being chased.

“We need to surrender. The Warlord will come to kill us. They killed his people and the ‘Great Khan’ will exact revenge,” shouted another man, managing to raise a few voices of support.

“Only death awaited you under a lunatic,” Makeba announced in a serious tone.

That man sneered.

“Death awaits us on this side. What difference does it make? Do you think those girls will always protect us? Do you think they have that ability to fight with a veteran warlord?”

There was silence.

He was someone who was looking for trouble, but he was also an individual who was afraid and that fear was evident as he looked beyond the now.

That ‘girl’ in everyone’s eyes was a young girl who seemed to want to become a heroine.

Saving people coming from the sky, trying to help all to feel good about herself or for some such matter... Maybe she was.

It was possible that when she started helping, when she went out to fight monsters, she simply did it out of interest about heroes, wanting to replicate it.

Was she that person now?

No, she was naïve before, but she had realized what she wanted quite some time ago.

If she were asked why right now she helped, the answer was simple.

It was because her body moved involuntarily.

She wanted to stifle her emotions, but there were multiple ways to do so, some not so dangerous, yet when someone asked for her help... She mechanically moved to help them.

Yes, she was here because her body moved involuntarily to help, but even conscious she would move that way.

Could she fight a warlord?

She had already killed individuals just as dangerous and with just as much strength.

Would she protect them forever?

That was a big question and the answer she immediately found was that it was impossible.

As much as it pained her, she couldn’t be everywhere and that meant she couldn’t protect everyone... Just as she lost those people she cared about when they were left in a supposed safe city and she was elsewhere.

“When the ‘Great Khan’ comes demanding our heads for following some girls, what will we do? He will come and bring his army of militia, wanting to murder us all to prove that he is not to be disobeyed,” exposed the man with a cold tone, getting the silence to spread and looking at the people, he announced. “If we go with them, we will only go to a town that awaits death.”

Turay remained silent, letting it be seen that in a way it was true.

The village was small, dangerous, and in the middle of the desert, far from everything.

As if that wasn’t enough, to the south of the town was the magical forest and if it wasn’t for them, then it was possible that they would have already died the first time.

It wasn’t a guess or to think herself important, the first time she came to that town the residents were in danger.

All eyes turned to her and her companion.

Alice received the stares nonchalantly and waited for her to respond.

Would she protect them forever?

No.

Did she have a way to save them?

Yes.

—You are not alone.

Her system gave her comment, one that not only pointed to her sister, but to her parents and, in a way, to him... Whatever it was.

It was because she knew she wasn’t alone, that she could help people and not half-heartedly, but all the way.

Having all eyes on her, her expression turned serious.

“If you stay by my side, I promise you that I will give my best to protect you all... I will take care of protecting you until you all can be safe in a good place.”

Those were the only words out of her mouth.

She wasn’t going to give a motivational speech trying to encourage everyone to follow her by convincing them one by one.

She would give her best to protect them by giving her all... Doing what she had to do to protect them.

That was what she could do right now, and she would try to prove it with her actions.

They saw her as someone strong, but she wasn’t... She was just a girl who had painful nightmares at night and woke up crying in her sister’s arms until she fell asleep again.

She was just a young girl who, when she picked up her sword, would tremble, making her mind remember the viscosity of the blood... Of everyone; she had cut with it.

She was not a heroine with high values; she was just someone who wanted to do her best for whatever she had to do.

People were divided, and about three hundred people left.

She was not stingy and gave part of her potions or items along with some of the food that was not needed all in one of her space rings.

Even though they didn’t trust her, it didn’t bother her and she tried to help them as best she could.

Then Aurora watched them leave as her group prepared with an atmosphere of hopelessness.

“What will you do?” Alice asked as she stood beside them.

She looked ahead at her group.

She knew she had two choices.

One was to leave that continent, taking all the people who followed her.

However, even though she hadn’t met any warlords and didn’t know the ‘Great Khan’, she knew the lunatics of that same species.

She knew that even if she left, many would remain here and would cruelly suffer the fate of the conquered.

So she only had to choose the second option.

“I’ll stay.” She replied quietly.

Her body would keep moving involuntarily and it was likely that more people would join the group in the future.

Did she do it because she was lost in her emotions and wanted to be distracted by something else?

She didn’t know, but at least now she wanted to do this.

“I understand. I will take care of informing our parents. The last time I answered their call, they scolded me for ‘running away from home’ and ‘spoiling’ my sister,” Alice muttered in a low tone.

It was as if she didn’t like being scolded, but at the same time, she endured the guilt.

If it were up to Alice, the only place she would ‘escape’ to would be a restaurant... And the truth was that since they were young, Aurora was the source by which they both moved.

Towards an uncertain destination.