As Alric stood before the crater, his face froze in shock at the vast destruction: 'Half of the city evaporated into nothing.'
A knight spoke from behind, "Sir, what are the orders?"
He sighed and looked back at him. "Tell the mages to sense mana for survivors. Make teams of two soldiers and one mage each."
All the soldiers began to dismount. He dismounted as well, exhaling deeply before commanding, "There are people in this debris waiting for help. Let's save them."
The soldiers cheered and spread out, moving carefully through the ruins. All around them were broken buildings and corpses.
Alric remained near the crater, the wind tugging at his cape. He sat down on a boulder, his eyes heavy as they lingered on the horizon.
He whispered to himself, 'We are always helpless. We can't do anything, only watch from afar when demons attack.'
Turning back, he saw his knights lifting debris, covering bodies with cloth. His face twisted with regret as he clenched his fist. "If only we were powerful…"
Meanwhile, three knights moved together down a ruined street. One mage walked behind them with his eyes shut, sensing the faint threads of mana.
The mage asked quietly, "So you still plan to leave the order?"
The knight at the front smiled faintly and pulled out a worn picture of his wife and daughter. "I have worked hard as a knight so I can buy farmland and live with my family."
The other man chuckled. "You have become old."
"Maybe I am. Hey, check if anyone is around."
The mage focused, his brows tightening. Suddenly, he flinched. "Wait… someone's here."
The knights spun toward him. "Where?"
He pointed to the right. They rushed toward a collapsed building, sliding to the ground as they began pulling apart the debris.
At last, they uncovered Keva, barely breathing, unconscious beneath the rubble.
One knight's eyes widened. Seeing her armor, he shouted, "Heal her quickly! We need information from her."
The mage knelt and pressed his staff to the ground, channeling energy into the gemstone. A green light enveloped Keva as healing began.
"Her bones are shattered, her organs damaged. I can't heal her fully…"
The knight leaned closer. But before he could finish, Keva's body twitched with unstable mana. He reacted instantly, shoving the mage down just as her body erupted.
Flames engulfed them, blasting upward into the sky.
When the smoke cleared, the knight lay over the mage, coughing blood. The mage opened his eyes, wincing beneath the weight. His expression froze as he recognized the knight's face.
He forced a trembling smile. "You okay, my friend? Told you to work on your reaction…"
His body grew still, his eyes empty.
The mage's face twisted with tears and a scream of grief. Another soldier rushed forward, lifting the knight's body away. As the corpse was lowered, Alric and the others arrived.
Alric knelt beside the fallen knight and saw the picture squished in his fist, covered in blood. He pulled out the picture from his hand and commanded clenching his fist before snapping around at the mages. "Search this place now. Find the traces."
Grief tightened the soldiers' grips on their staffs. They raised them high, channeling a vast ball of mana into the air. The wave spread outward, sweeping aside dust and stone until it encompassed the entire city.
One mage suddenly cried out, "Sir Alric, I sense mana below us!"
Alric narrowed his eyes. "Is it hostile or…?"
"They are prisoners," the mage interrupted. "Their mana is fading. They are dying."
Alric's voice hardened. "Then we save them. Guide the way."
The mage walked toward the edge of the crater, tracking the source. The knights followed in silence until they stopped at the rim.
"What happened?" Alric asked.
The mage gazed down. "We need to go below."
Alric turned to his men. "Fetch ropes. We're going down."
Two knights sprinted off while the others sat to rest. Alric glanced at the mage. "How many people are down there? What condition are they in?"
The mage closed his eyes, sweat dripping as he strained to sense deeper. His breathing grew heavy before he gasped and opened his eyes. "Hundreds. Children, adults… all trapped in a cave. Their air is running out fast."
The knights returned with ropes. Alric offered the mage water, then spoke firmly. "Let's go. Be careful—there may be traps, or the people may attack us. But if they are innocent, it is our duty to save them."
They secured the ropes to boulders and started to descend into the crater.
At the bottom, He shouted, "Move forward!"
The knights advanced until they found a blocked cave entrance. He turned toward the mages, and they raised their staffs, channeling power to clear the debris away. Warm air rushed outward as the path cleared. Everyone covered their face with their hands
From the shadows, a figure stumbled into the light with trembling legs.
It was Edric. Shielding his eyes, he collapsed into the arms of a knight who rushed to support him. They guided him to Alric.
Alric placed a steady hand on the boy's head. "Kid, are you alright?"
Edric's eyes filled with tears. 'So gentle… this is the first time I've felt warmth like this.'
"Are there more inside? How are they?" Alric asked.
Edric stammered, his voice weak. "Many are collapsed… some are injured. They are just inside."
Alric turned to his knights. "Everyone, go in! Rescue them, bring them out!"
The knights hurried inside, while mages used their staffs to channel magic, and darkness disappeared. The knights started carrying survivors gently, some alive, some unconscious, some gone.
As Alric checked over the rescued, a knight searching the outskirts shouted, "Sir! We found something!"
Alric rushed over. "What is it?"
The knight pointed down. It was Finn's body.
"Sir, this boy's mana has been completely drained from his body."
Alric's eyes widened. His breath grew heavy, sweat on his brow. "What… happened here?"