Maybe it was a coincidence -or maybe it was destiny. That, or I did indeed jinx our caravan. In a way, I knew I should have been considering the genuine possibility of an attack. Maeve is not like my old world. Monsters roam and attack larger caravans all the time. The kingdom keeps it under control as best they can, or so they claim. Individual nobles send out raid parties. There are even freelance mercenaries and adventurers that fight monsters. Still, I had spent the last year and change in a cooped-up mansion refusing to meet anyone other than Lina -so I had yet to actually see a goblin, or a harpy, or a griffon. And even the thought of them hadn’t made me shiver with fear, or dread the potential of meeting them. They were stories. Boogeymen to scare children into submission.

I hadn’t appreciated how fortunate I’d been since leaving the Dawn estate. The two prior attacks on the road were handled by the patrolling guards, the caravan only having to stop for an hour or so each time to attend to minor injuries. I never saw the monsters, I just heard they were low tier and easily handled by the knights of the Dusk. But something must have happened. The carriage came to an abrupt stop, waking me from a light sleep.

Without missing a beat, the quiet night turned into chaos. I could hear shouts coming from all directions, some calm but loud -to direct the knights, some simply frantic -shocked by something emerging from the darkness.

Sliding from the carriage bench onto the floor, I perched myself up against the door to the cabin. Pressing my ear to the wood, I tried to listen to what was happening. Either it was going to be over quickly or it was a genuine emergency -those were the only reasons that no one would have come to tell me what was going on. And even the possibility of seeing a creature of the night was ringing alarm bells in my mind. So I listened, but I dared not look. I could hear the sound of cracking wood, of metal clanking, the grunts of a knight fighting to survive. I heard orders coming from Sir Rellar reverberating through the air, his voice so clear it was as if he was sitting next to me speaking into my ear. I heard him shout through my mind several times, but it was the third time that hit me.

“Klein, move closer to the Lady’s carriage. Arnel - cover the other side.” A grunt was transmitted as well before Sir Rellar’s voice went from hard and commanding to a more measured tone -not quite gentle but there was something that helped to put me at ease, “Lady Dawn, fear not. The Blights are many but they are weak -the Dusk will protect you.”

Blights? Eunora, think. What are Blights? I ran through every monster or magical creature I knew, pulling from the recess of my memories. But I couldn’t imagine what eldritch horror a Blight was.

The crash of armor hitting the carriage door caused me to jump backward, and I heard a familiar voice curse. Ouros is closer than I thought. My eyes widened, The monster is closer than I thought.

Tears began to well in my eyes, and I felt my body shake. As I stared at the door that now had a dent from Ouros being slammed into it, the edges of my vision began to darken and my breath continued to come faster and faster.

This world is dangerous. I could die.

I could die.

I bit the inside of my cheek and ground the tissue between my teeth. As I felt the blood spread in my mouth, I took a shaky breath. The warm metallic taste helped me to calm my mind.

[Mental Fortitude]

I felt the familiar pull of mana coming from my stomach as I powered the active skills of [Mental Fortitude]. All at once, my hands steadied, my vision returned to normal, and I was able to stand. I climbed onto the seat and stood on my knees by the window -trying to make out the figures in the dim torchlight.

I need to know.

Ouros was back on his feet right outside the carriage, but I didn’t see anything around him other than some oddly shaped logs laying in a circle around him. He still held out his sword, prepared for another attack. I took in a sharp breath as I realized his breathing was heavy not because he was exhausted -but because his left arm was twisted unnaturally. His forearm was bound in branches that ran from his wrist to his upper arm, forcing his palm to twist around. The glow of the torchlight reflected off the blood that was dripping from the wooden binding.

As I took in the sight of Ouros, something emerged from the darkness of the forest that surrounded us. It was a man. No, not a man. It was man-shaped, with two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. But instead of skin, the monster was made of rotting, cracked wood. Its limbs were long and gangly, its arms dragging across the ground filling the immediate area with a krsh krsh sound every time the monster took a step. Rather than a proper face, the creature’s head looked like a decrepit wooden mask with two holes for eyes that remained empty. In the torchlight, nothing reflected back that I could see.

The Blight.

As the Blight approached Ouros, he didn’t flinch or give way. To my eyes, he didn’t look like injured prey -no, I could feel the aura radiating off him. Even down an arm, he was a predator. Even as a teenager. He was truly a Knight of the Dusk. When the monster was within a few steps, Ouros lunged towards it. As he moved a faint light covered his blade, and with ease, he swung his sword through one of the Blight’s outstretched arms like butter. Another swing brought with it a sizzle and a chunk of the monster’s head fell away. As Ouros cut into the Blight, again and again, the carriage rocked once more with the force of a door being ripped apart.

Behind me, the door Arlen was supposed to be guarding cracked. As I began to turn, a wooden arm caught me by the neck and dragged me backward. Letting out a muffled scream, I felt the twiggy hand begin to tighten and crush my throat. As I was being dragged out of the carriage, I ripped at the wooden arm, digging my nails into it to try and provide myself with some release.

No. No!

I tried to breathe, barely able to make a noise let alone take in air. Now my body was making the slow krshh krshhh sound of being dragged. Giving up on trying to get out of the Blight’s grasp, I began digging my hands into the soft forest floor -trying to at least slow down my abduction, and likely death. In my frenzy, I cracked my nails and cut my arms -grabbing anything I could, even digging my nails into rocks and holding onto exposed roots. Every time I was forced to let go I felt [Mental Fortitude] slipping, my mind gradually becoming more chaotic. Another step of the monster later, I felt [Mental Fortitude] fully release - letting a thought creep into my head that made my body freeze and stop fighting.

Why am I fighting?

I hate it here.

I just want to go back to-

[Congratulations! You have been noticed by the Goddess of Perseverance, Mera! You have obtained the skill: Blade of Triumph.]

[System Notice: You have received additional Divinity for attracting the attention of a God.]

[System Notice: The Goddess Mera is enacting her Will on the World. Skill: Blade of Triumph is being forcefully activated by Mera.]

[System Notice: Due to forceful activation of Blade of Triumph, the Goddess Mera consumes 4 point(s) of Divinity.]

As the system flooded my mind, a green flame erupted from above my head. Spreading into a circle, the center of the flame began to burn white. Out of the white flame, a silver blade erupted and flew out of the fire -as if thrown with the force of a warrior. With a screech, the blade pierced through the Blight who was dragging me. Even though the monster remained silent, the fire that the blade had flown out of had trailed after the sword and began to consume the head of the Blight. I could feel the wood looped around my throat begin to lose its strength, and air began freely flowing into my lungs again.

Coughing, I rolled forward and crawled several feet away. Flipping over on my back, I propped myself up on my elbows. Still gasping for breath, I took in the sight of the Blight consumed in the green and white flames. I sat there for a while, oblivious to the scenery around me, as the fire turned the Blight into a charred log and died out. That was when I looked at the Blight’s head. Where there had been its face, there was now a caved-in hole between the monster's makeshift eyes. The edges of the hole were still glowing red with embers, but the blade that had been summoned was nowhere to be found. I turned my head to the side in search of where the blade could have gone. As soon as my eyes focused I slammed my hands over my mouth and suppressed my scream. Forcing my body back, I pushed my feet against the ground.

My eyes began to well up with tears all over again, and instinctively I knew that [Mental Fortitude] was too weak to curb the effect the gruesome scene would have on my mind.

Back towards the carriage, not ten feet away, was a knight laying on the ground. Roots bound his limbs, wrapped around his torso, and strangled his neck. All four of his limbs were bloodied and twisted in ways the human body shouldn’t bend. Arlen. Pressing my hand into my mouth firmer, I let my eyes focus on his chest. In the dim light, I couldn’t see any movement, but it was possible. He could still be alive. His limbs could be healed.

“Help!” I released my hands and forced my voice to work, and crawled over to where Arlen’s body was laying.

“Someone - anyone! Sir Arlen needs help!” I felt my voice turn into a scream-cry, but I couldn’t hold back.

I put my hand over Arlen’s heart and began to push. Eunora didn’t know CPR. Neither did Maria. But I knew of it. I had a vague idea. So I continued to use my meager 30 strength to push down on Arlen’s chest in the hope that I could start his heart once more. As I pumped my hands, I never stopped shouting for help. I never stopped crying. I never looked past Arlen’s chest. I never focused on the inhuman angle the roots forced his neck into. I never saw the empty eyes that were looking up at the night sky, all life drained from them.

I kept pushing on Arlen’s chest.

On the chest of someone who was meant to protect me.

This is my fault.

I kept screaming until my voice was hoarse.

Seconds - minutes - hours later, I didn’t notice the Knights of the Dusk surrounding me. I didn’t see the look of anguish Sir Rellar was giving me.

No one stopped me until I was too exhausted to continue. Until my arms screamed at me to stop. Until my voice completely disappeared. Until my tears dried up. Until I finally looked up at Arlen’s face.

Pulling my arms away from him, I covered my mouth once again. Slowly, I stood up and turned towards the darkness that marked the edge of the forest. One step at a time, I staggered to the treeline. No one stopped me, but several knights walked a few feet behind me as I shuffled away.

Then I threw up in the bushes.

[Blade of Triumph: A Divine Blade is summoned from the aether that surrounds the Goddess of Perseverance, Mera. The Blade summoned depends on the need of the summoner. Only one who has earned the favor of Mera can call upon a Blade of Triumph, as the Blade is summoned from Mera’s personal arsenal. Each Blade has unique Attributes. A Blade of Triumph is not wielded, yet it is victorious. Mera has allowed for a Blade of Triumph to be summoned once every 30 days. Cooldown decreases as the Skill levels up. Current cooldown: 29 days 23 hours 10 minutes 14 seconds.]