New World - A New Beginning

2 HOURS EARLIER

"Darck, it's good to see you again," said Rom as Katherine and I approached the party. I nodded, both of us acknowledging what couldn't be said. My eyes met with the two sisters, Ava and Emma, both of them nodding turn in turn.

We had all accepted the known fact, the reality that we could no longer escape. Mike wouldn't be apart of this team anymore. I had decided that this would probably be my final domain as an adventurer before I took some time off and prepared for school.

I had accepted the domain because of Katherine's request, but it didn't feel right to leap back into the action after what had happened.

But considering the rest of the team was here, maybe I was the only one feeling that way?

I felt a presence approaching, my head turning ever so slightly. A massive bruiser clad in metal approached, a Viking-looking helmet covering his face with horns on either side. I noticed a crest engraved on his armor, the sight of it sparking some kind of recognition within me.

I tried remembering where I had last seen the symbol, but my mind seemed to always drift towards the guilt that I felt, the pain of losing a member.

"I'm Drav. AA-rank tank. I'll be leading the expedition today," he announced, showing us his adventurer's ID.

I raised my eyebrows ever so slightly in surprise. AA-rank adventurers were hard to come by, and even if they were not nearly as limited in numbers as the S-ranks, they were still rare prodigies within Auroria.

I touched my face instinctively at the meeting of a new individual, letting out a small sigh of relief at the touch of my mask. A yellow streak crossed the mask, the line created from repairing the fissure that had appeared when I had fought the Spirit King.

I stood at the back of the party as we entered the domain. A massive graveyard had been overrun by the undead, and after being identified as an official domain, we had been sent to clear it immediately.

I watched as Drav swung his massive battleax, cutting through a few undead ghouls and clearing a straight path towards the boss room. I had heard that the undead's main strength wasn't in their individual force, but how they managed to come together to defend the boss.

There would only be one fight in this domain, and it would be in the boss room.

"You okay?" asked Katherine as she noticed me staring slightly downwards, my pace slower than usual. I looked up at the girl, her brown hair once again tied in a bun that facilitated fighting and precision with a bow.

"Yea," I answered, the metallic neutrality in my voice not affecting the girl.

"It wasn't your fault," she suddenly said, almost like she was reading my mind.

"I misused my bind, that's what cost him his life."

Katherine thought about it, trying to find the best response. She knew I was right, and even if I wasn't solely to blame, my miscalculation had indeed killed Mike.

"And where was I? Where was Ava? Where was Emma? Where was Rom?" she asked after some thought. "You two weren't the only ones on the field. And yet, you and Mike are the only ones who were forced into that situation. We could've helped, we could've done something. A burden isn't a weight that should strain one single person."

I sighed.

"You're awfully philosophical, aren't you?"

Katherine let out a small smile. A smile that covered up the severity of what she had just said, the guilt churning wildly within her.

"I try."

The burden of Mike's death wasn't mine to carry alone. I would never blame anyone other than myself, but the least I could do was try and share the pain the others felt. I had never thought about their position, their thoughts, and feelings that agonized them.

If I couldn't even do that, then I would be a failure as an individual, a failure as a person whom Mike had given his life for.

I looked ahead at Ava and Emma, both of them walking confidently behind the tank, masking the uncertainty that plagued the entirety of the survivors from that day. The killing of the Spirit King had become a historic event, one we would never forget, one we never could let go of.

But history always repeated itself.

There was no guarantee of survival in this line of work, and that day would be an everlasting reminder of that fact.

I shook my head, withdrawing myself from any unwanted thoughts and focusing on what was now my utmost priority: the survival of this party.

I reached into the small portal in front of me, drawing the crimson red sword and swinging it behind me in a singular motion.

An undead ghoul dropped dead, it's groans of pain echoing in the halls of the building.

"We're here," announced Drav as he stopped his advance. I glanced at what lay ahead of us, feeling Katherine tense up ever so slightly beside me.

A dark figure stood in the center of the open area, graves surrounding the entity.

A black veil enveloped the creature, but something inside me trembled from being in proximity with it. I knew the power of this boss would be high, but considering this was only an A-rank domain, I couldn't tell why I was so cautious of it.

"A Fury..." muttered Katherine slowly, her face completely white.

Furies? I had heard about them.

A race of monster that was said to be extremely powerful. They had wiped out multiple villages throughout the Alliance's existence, and the weakest furies were said to be at least B-rank.

That being said, Furies weren't undead. Why was it the boss of this domain? Wouldn't the undead attack it? See it as an invader?

It appeared nobody in my party was asking themselves these questions as they all readied themselves for battle. I glanced at Katherine, the girl readying her weapon and letting out a long breath, calming herself.

I prepared my sword and awaited the order. The one word that either led a party to victory, or to its demise.

"Engage!" yelled Drav as he charged at the figure, attempting to catch it off-guard. The Fury turned around, the cloak falling off as it shrieked at its incoming attackers. My eyes widened, something clicking in my mind as I noticed its unusually fast response time.

It was waiting for us.