NOVPUBStrange calls echoed from unseen creatures, and a flock of colorful birds burst from a nearby forest, scattering like jewels across the sky. The air felt alive, charged with the raw energy of a world untouched by order.
Asta gripped the wall's edge, heart racing, as the group stared in awe. ''Where are we? This looks like a place from those books Father used to read us,'' he commented.
''It's a lost world,'' Asha replied as a roar echoed out. ''Those monsters sound strong, their roars cause my chest to shake. We should explore the bottom to see what it is like.''
''Will the White Devil kick us out if we're found up here? And what about this Mana Storm, it could get bad?'' Rev questioned the group.
''Father says the emperor is kind,'' Asta replied. ''I saw Leader Benson talking about how he brought all the poor people to this place and built everything so we could survive, but to answer your question, the storm can't get any worse.''
The group nodded as Lev warned. ''What if there are dangerous monsters out there? We could be killed?''
''We can just run back here and climb up the wall,'' Rev answered. ''Our fingers fit in between the stones and we're all fast.''
Following that, everyone agreed and they carefully descended the border wall, their fingers gripping moss-slick stones until their feet touched the soft, loamy floor of a primal forest below, which fascinated them all.
Towering trees with gnarled trunks stretched into a canopy that filtered sunlight into a dim, green haze. Vines draped like curtains, and the air hummed with the chirps and rustles of unseen life.
Asta led the way, and the others trailed close, their eyes wide with curiosity as they ventured deeper, pushing past ferns and stepping over tangled roots. The forest felt alive, pulsing with mystery.
Suddenly, a low, rhythmic thud froze them in place. From the undergrowth emerged a line of massive black ants, each the size of a car, their glossy exoskeletons glinting as they marched in eerie unison, mandibles clicking.
The children's breath caught, and Asta gestured frantically, urging them to duck behind a fallen log. Hearts pounding, they crouched low, peering through gaps in the moss as the ants passed, their fear mingling with awe at the strange, wild world they'd entered.
''What are these things brother?'' Asha whispered beside him.
He shrugged, giving her his opinion. ''They remind me of ants in the fields back home, but much bigger.''
The group watched, breathless, as the horde of monsters slunk through the forest, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. The children pressed forward, Asta at the lead, while the Mana Storm above churned with growing ferocity.
Moments later, thunder crashed in the sky and lit the underbrush surrounding them, startling the girls, their shrieks piercing the air. Rev's voice bellowed over the chaos. ''We need to find shelter, now!''
Following this, the four children slogged through the muddy forest, their boots sinking into the sodden earth with each weary step. Rain lashed their faces, and the Mana Storm's violet lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating twisted branches that clawed at the air.
Asta led the group, her jaw set, while the others trailed behind, shivering and clutching their cloaks. In the distance, at the base of a jagged mountain, a dark maw yawned, a cave, its entrance half-hidden by gnarled roots and dripping moss.
Hope flickered in their eyes. Without a word, they hurried toward it, slipping on the slick ground but driven by the promise of shelter. As they ducked inside, the storm's roar dulled to a muffled howl, and the cave's damp, cool air enveloped them.
They huddled together, their breaths visible in the dim light, grateful for the refuge but wary of what might lurk deeper within, where the air was thick with the scent of wet stone and something faintly metallic, unsettling their nerves.
Asta pulled a small crystal from his pouch, its faint glow casting eerie shadows on the jagged walls. ''Stay sharp,'' he whispered in a low voice.
Rev, clutching a worn dagger, scanned the darkness. ''This place feels… wrong,'' he muttered, his words nearly swallowed by the distant drip of water echoing from deeper within.
The girls, Asha and Lev, clung to each other, their eyes wide as they strained to see beyond the crystal's feeble light. A sudden gust from the storm outside sent a chill through the entrance, and the group instinctively drew closer.
They ventured a few cautious steps forward; the ground beneath them sloped gently downward, the walls narrowing into a tunnel. Strange markings, etched into the stone, glinted faintly under Asta's light, spirals and jagged runes that seemed to pulse with a life.
Lev whimpered, pointing at the carvings. ''Those… they're not natural.''
Before anyone could respond, a low, guttural rumble reverberated through the cave, vibrating in their chests. The children froze, hearts pounding. The sound wasn't the storm; it was something alive, something stirring in the darkness ahead.
''What was that!'' Asha exclaimed in a whisper.
Rev looked at them with wide eyes, muttering. ''Monsters.''
Moments later, the sound stopped, causing the four to become wary as Asta led the way into the cave until coming to a small chamber. When the children saw this, Lev pointed out. ''There's a fire pit there, someone must have been here.''
Everyone agreed until Rev jumped back as he looked at one corner where two skeletons were huddled together. This freaked them out, but Lev commented. ''They've been here years, I think.''
''Look at the dust of their clothing?'' Asta added. ''Looks like southern clothing that the Fire Elves wear.''
The children fanned out, scouring the cave for dry wood to feed the small fire Rev and Asta had coaxed to life using supplies from their packs. The flames crackled, casting a warm glow that pushed back the damp chill.
Lev approached, his brow furrowed, as he tossed a few brittle sticks onto the pile. ''What about food?'' he asked worry. ''We've got the bread the emperor sent to camp and a few waterskins, but that's it.''
''I can use fire magic,'' Asta revealed. ''But that's not needed because we can head back to the wall once the rain stops.''
Just then, a horrifying roar echoed out, causing the four to stiffen as Rev looked at the entrance and gulped. ''Something's out there, be quiet.''
The girls whimpered while Asta looked around and found a rock crag off to one side. 'Perfect place to hide,' he thought.
Following that, the boy pushed the other three behind it just as the newcomer appeared in the firelight, and what they saw scared them senseless. It was a tall humanoid with dark black eyes and long claws.
The sight of the creature sent a jolt of fear through the group, their gasps nearly erupting into panic. Rev swiftly clamped his hands over their mouths, muffling their yelps, as Asta's eyes locked onto the beast.
It lingered, its gaze fixed on the flickering fire, before abruptly bolting out of the cave, its exit followed by a chorus of distant howls echoing through the night. They huddled behind a cluster of jagged stones, their weary bodies bathed in the fire's gentle warmth.
The flames crackled softly, casting dancing shadows on the cave walls and holding the biting cold of the damp air at bay. Asta tucked his cloak tightly around Asha, her eyes heavy and full of fear, while Rev leaned against a stone, his dagger resting on his lap.
Lila curled close to them, their breaths slowing as the fire's glow lulled them into a fragile sense of safety. The distant howl of the Mana Storm outside was a faint murmur, and for now, the cozy heat wrapped them like a shield.
Asta's heart thundered in his chest as the Mana Storm's wrath intensified, the heavens roaring with violet fury. The earth beneath them shuddered violently, a primal quake that split the cave's stone heart.
As the tremors crescendoed, threatening to swallow them whole, Asta's voice boomed, heroic and desperate. ''Hold on to each other!''
No sooner had his command echoed than a colossal wave, born of the storm's relentless might, crashed into the cave. Its glacial embrace seized Asta, Rev, Asha, and Lev, wrenching them from their sanctuary.
Ensnared by a merciless tide, they were hurled through the shadowed maw of the night, swept southward into the uncharted depths of a realm so vast and unforgiving. He looked up while clinging to his sister, only to see monsters and massive boulders passing by
Moments later, Asta hit his head before falling unconscious thanks to something crashing into the group. Following that, the icy wave surged, dragging them through the night's chaos and to the wild and empty southern part of the Domain.
Their hands clung desperately to one another as the torrent roared, tossing them like leaves in a tempest. The world blurred, darkness, stone, and storm melding into a disorienting whirl, until the current eased, spitting them out.
