Ata Town 2

The two spellcasters were utterly unaffected by the cold wind, thanks to the enchantments on their clothing. Magic changed lives; that was no exaggeration. Elufiel could not understand why anyone would reject such power.

"I don't know how you define that woman's actions, but I think this was an escalated act of revenge." Elufiel looked at the mage. "If my child had been harmed, branded a demon by others, and bled to death, I'm afraid my revenge would have been even more violent. I could not help but blame those who watched with indifference or even fanned the flames, much less forgive the true culprit. So I have no right to judge whether what she did constituted a crime."

Odovish's sapphire eyes rippled like water. He thought of the fallen city on the Far Northern Icefields, of flowing blood, of helpless corpses filled with despair, of his own frenzied and cruel revenge... Those memories buried deep within his heart churned. Odovish felt as if he had returned to those days imprisoned at the bottom of the tower, where there was no light at all. Anger had fallen silent in emptiness, and hope had been worn away by loneliness. Day after day, year after year, it had drained away his impulses and passion. Sometimes, he did not even feel alive anymore. Like a lingering undead spirit, he had merely sunk into his obsession.

When the other Arcane practitioners feared him, when his actions were harshly condemned, the elf had appeared. She did not belong in this world, yet she was so vividly alive. And her words made Odovish feel that he was not alone. If his revenge was wrong, then were those who had murdered his dearest family right? Their hands were equally stained with blood, so who had the right to define right and wrong?

"I once—" Odovish was interrupted by a sudden commotion.

"What a huge group of rabbits." Elufiel sounded astonished.

Following her gaze, Odovish saw a group of mountain rabbits with glowing red eyes, driven mad. They had rushed in from outside the town, attacking every living thing they saw.

People screamed and defended themselves with whatever tools they had at hand. But the rabbits had shed their usual docile nature. Ignoring every blow that landed on them, they clamped their teeth onto other creatures as long as they could still move. When the first person bitten had their eyes turn red and joined the rabbits, the town's peace was completely shattered.

Elufiel looked at the mage. "What do we do now?"

A gust of wind suddenly swept past for no apparent reason. Odovish lightly moved his fingers. "I'm afraid we've already been surrounded."

Elufiel looked at the gemstone ring on his hand, whose color had grown deeper than before. "Was that a wind elemental?"

"Yes. He is a wind spirit. Once we reach somewhere safe, I'll introduce the two of you." As he spoke, Odovish took the elf's hand and began running toward the small chapel. Elufiel noticed that they were not the only ones; the townspeople were all rushing there too, though the chapel clearly could not hold so many people.

An elderly priest and a young man in leather armor emerged from the chapel. The old priest raised his voice. "Please do not panic. We still have the Light Barrier to resist these monsters. Let us pray together. The goddess will lead us through this disaster." Standing at the chapel entrance, the old priest raised both hands and loudly recited something resembling scripture. As he chanted, a faint curtain of light spread out around the chapel.

There was no doubt that this was a prearranged divine spell. It only needed a chant to activate it.

Elufiel and Odovish had been standing at the very edge of the crowd, and the light curtain was only a palm's breadth away from them. Elufiel's gaze fell upon the patterns pieced together from small stones. The Light Barrier had been set within those stones.

The crazed rabbits and infected people rammed against the light curtain. Instinctively, everyone moved closer to the chapel, their ragged breathing revealing their fear. The old priest took the lead in prayer, and more and more people joined him.

Elufiel listened to the prayers with a confused expression. She asked the mage in Elvish, "What is the point of praying like this? The barrier has not grown stronger, and its energy is still being consumed. It will not be long before this barrier shatters."

Odovish looked at the elf. Clearly, she thought the people's prayers were meant to sustain the barrier. "People always need some kind of spiritual comfort."

"Then I'm afraid their faith is not devout enough," Elufiel said. "Or perhaps their god has abandoned them."

The barrier's glow dimmed further. The young man in leather armor pushed through the crowd and walked outside. A longsword hung diagonally at his waist. He asked, "Are those who have been bitten beyond saving?"

The old priest stopped praying and shook his head. "Yes. They have already become demons."

Odovish's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at those words. Elufiel understood the mage's predicament and blinked at him. After a brief silence, he gave a slight nod.

"Who told you they could not be saved?" Elufiel looked at the old priest. "Look carefully. They are not devouring the flesh and blood of living people like those rabbits. As long as the curse of infection is dispelled in time, they will soon recover."

"Young lady, do not speak nonsense." The old priest was somewhat angered. No one in this town had ever challenged his authority. "I have already received word from the diocese. Those rabbits are the source of the curse, and the infected must be burned to purify the evil. Eli, trust me. Use your sword to slay this evil."

The young man called Eli looked at the old priest, then turned to Elufiel. "If you cannot prove your words, I will kill them."

"Alone?" Elufiel looked at the young ranger with interest. "Yet the enemies outside the barrier are gathered in packs."

"You only need to prove what you said, miss."

Odovish raised his eyes and glanced at him. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I don't think the barrier can hold out much longer."

Elufiel smiled. "Priest, when the barrier breaks, what will be left to save you?"