NOVEL NEXT 49 - You Will Remember
Vedovessa took the class of newly awakened students to the wall of trees surrounding the village. She explained that first-year awakened students would be posted at the safest section of the wall while upperclassmen would go to more dangerous sectors.
No student was expected to fight on a dark day, but older children were better equipped to deal with complications.
For all the protection the wall of trees offered Camboaci, they weren't easy to climb. For that reason, the students were forced to move outside of the village to observe the fight.
When the last student stepped through the gate, the opening in the wall closed behind them.
"Brigaseta control wall," Gennorina told Div and En.
"Nature magic is about plants?" They asked, trying to glean more information about this new attunement.
"No, plant magic is about plants," Gennorina said, shaking her head. "Nature magic is about nature."
This didn't help them. With the language barrier, complex concepts like magic were difficult to convey.
All around the village's walls, the Camboacian warriors had gathered in small teams. Div and En spotted Belilamos and Carmeta, wearing their combat attire. Carmeta was carrying a massive sword on her back, it looked incredibly heavy.
They waved at Div and En as they noticed the boy looking at them.
He waved back.
Another couple waved in Div and En's direction. Or rather, they were waving at Gennorina.
"My parents," she said.
Her mother looked like a fierce warrior. With a regular-sized sword and a shield in her hands, her eyes scanning the forest, ready to react.
As for her father, he looked relaxed with his long hair and beard flowing with the wind, his spear planted into the ground as he waited.
"Everyone, listen up!" Vedovessa shouted, bringing the students' attention back to her. "We are now on the battlefield. Do not let your focus waver. Expect a monster to ambush you at any moment. You will stay here, close to the wall, far behind our Evolved Rank warriors. Understood?"
"Yes!" All the students answered.
"The dark day starts with the rain," she added.
[Are you ready?]
(Always, but remember that in the rift, most monsters were Basic Rank. With so many Evolved Rank warriors mobilized, I expect it will be different here.)
[You're right, we must not let our guard down.]
"Diven?" Segorix asked, tapping his shoulder. "How do you feel?"
"I feel ready, Segorix. Why?"
"You don't have to fight for Camboaci," Segorix said. "You're our guest, we protect you."
"Don't worry," Div and En said. "I'm ready to do my part."
"You don't know dark days," the usually silent Lugsellos said. "People die."
Div and En looked at the archer, not sure how to answer. Despite the difference in language, they could feel the deep emotions his tone carried. They wanted to tell him they were fine, but it seemed insensitive.
"Yes," Div and En said. "I don't know. But I'm here."
Lugsellos pulled away. Segorix gestured an apology and went after him.
"Lugsellos parents fell during a dark day," Gennorina explained. "Long time ago. Not your fault."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't wrong," she reassured him. "Hard time for Lug. Segorix will help him."
Time passed, and the clouds above thickened into a suffocating black. They no longer rolled—they loomed, pressing closer with each gust of wind.
Tension was steadily growing among the students. Vedovessa's speech had filled them with vigor, but now that they were waiting, it was slowly seeping away.
They were waiting for the first drop of rain to fall.
Even the warriors in front of them were getting serious. They were not speaking anymore, only watching the forest.
Waiting.
"Patience," Vedovessa said. "Incertitude is also part of combat. We only know that the enemy will strike, not when. You must control your nerves. You must not let anxiety take over. You must be ready."
Div and En were surprised to realize they'd also fallen into the same pattern of worry and restlessness. They had thought that with their experience in the rift, they didn't need to worry about it.
But the reality was different. Their new friends' emotions were contagious. Div and En understood them. They were not fighting alone for their survival. Next to them were people they had known since their birth. Their parents and older siblings were likely on the frontline, risking their lives.
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Even Div and En who had only known those people for two days were worried about Belilamos, Carmeta, and Theaphilia who must have been somewhere on the battlefield. They were worried about their classmates standing next to them.
If only the rain could fall so the fighting could start. Then they knew their concerns would evaporate for a moment. They'd be too focused on survival to process them. Until the fight ended, that is.
Out of all the students, Lugsellos seemed to have it the worst. He was practically shaking. Segorix was standing next to him, supporting him with a hand on his shoulder. But the blonde boy wasn't faring much better, his usually bright expression was gone, replaced by a solemn frown.
Ambisena was joking with another girl. A way for her to ease the tension in her mind. It seemed to work, but she wasn't paying enough attention to the forest.
As for Gennorina, she had closed her eyes. Div and En would have thought she was reckless if they couldn't see her muttering unintelligible words under her breath if they couldn't sense her mana seeping into the earth.
She was probably doing druid things, they guessed. Nature magic. They were not sure if spending her mana before the fight was a good idea. But again, they didn't know anything about her spells and skills. Maybe it was normal.
Still, they noted they had to pay attention to her during the fight. They didn't want a monster catching her unaware.
Vedovessa said they wouldn't fight. But she had also given them weapons.
Speaking of their teacher, Div and En had noticed that the woman didn't carry a weapon. They tried to inspect her on their way to the walls, but they didn't manage to break through her Conceal.
Of course.
Now that they were in a combat zone, it didn't seem like a good idea to keep trying.
"You are all awakened of Camboaci," Vedovessa exhorted. "You have endured dark days. We all have. Every fall brings them. But this year is different. Not because the forest has changed. But because you have. You're no longer sheltered inside the walls. You are here—preparing. Training. Standing on the threshold of your future. A future where you will be the ones guarding this village."
Despite her best efforts, her words weren't enough to calm the most anxious students.
"Make it count," she said, firmer. "One day, it will be you shielding the younger ones, as they witness this battlefield for the first time. As they look to you for courage."
It wasn't that the students didn't want to fight for Camboaci. They were just scared.
"Lugsellos," she said gently. "I know today tears open old wounds. But it's not just you. No one in Camboaci has been spared the forest's cruelty. Every family bears a scar. Dark day or not, the world is hostile. We must face it—and we must prevail."
Lugsellos trembled, lips bloodied from biting, fists clenched. But he stood tall. When Div and En looked into his eyes, they saw it: a fire to overcome, to become something greater.
"Some of you may think Brigaseta will stop what's coming. She could. But she won't. Her duty is to the walls. Not to this field. This battle belongs to the Evolved Ranks. They will bleed. Some may fall. But perhaps—just perhaps—one of them will turn this dark day into a moment of ascension!"
Vedovessa let the silence linger, her voice calm but forceful.
"This is our duty," she said. "To Camboaci. To our comrades. To those who came before—and to those still to come. Even Ascended Ranks fall one day. Someone must rise—and carry Brigaseta's burden. Maybe it will be one of the warriors standing before us today. Maybe—later—it will be you."
Her voice deepened, cracking, rising into a shout that echoed to the front lines:
"And when that day comes, you will remember—we were here. Together. And we were so strong, so determined, that we knew we would prevail!"
Her voice was almost drowned out in a simultaneous roar coming from both the assembled warriors and beasts in the forest as the sky broke into a deluge.
Visibility dropped.
Monsters appeared out of the forest. As if the darkness and the rain had driven them mad. All sorts of species gathered together. Some of it Div and En recognized: Cyclops, wolves, bears. Others, he had never imagined they could exist, such as the three-legged bizarre wingless bird that was charging toward the Evolved Ranks.
(I wonder what's causing those monsters to act like this. All monsters they are, this is not normal.)
[Yes, monsters don't cooperate like this.]
There were a lot of beasts, too many to count. And there were more coming out of the forest.
(Why would they attack Camboaci specifically?)
[We can ask around after the fight.]
Div and En had to focus on the action. However, as Vedovessa had promised, the students were far from being engaged in combat. The horde of monsters crashed upon the Evolved Ranks line and was mercilessly cut down.
For all their numbers, most of the beasts were only Basic Rank. Evolved Rank warriors didn't need to exert themselves to dispatch them.
(This puts our fight with the guardians into perspective.)
[They were weak.]
Compared to the Camboacians, the guardians had been pathetically weak for Evolved Ranks. One thing was clear from the fight unfolding before their eyes: any of the warriors would beat them easily.
Whether it was Carmeta who was cleaving several beasts in one swipe of her massive sword or Gennorina's father who was too fast to even follow his moves, they were all several levels above the guardians.
Still, Div and En didn't relax. Vedovessa kept reminding the students that this was only the beginning. There would be Evolved Rank monsters entering the fight.
It was dependent on their species, but upon evolution, monsters tended to become a lot more intelligent. Of course, they were still beasts, but they were less driven by their instincts and gained the ability to strategize.
This, along with their increased strength made them a lot more dangerous.
At Basic Rank, monsters were often physically stronger than humans. But humans made up for it by being smarter and better equipped. Post-evolution, the physical difference was still there, but their intelligence advantage was lessened.
Thankfully, it was more common for a human to evolve than it was for a beast. Otherwise, humans wouldn't stand a chance in this world.
As the fighting stabilized, more and more of Div and En's classmates were able to appreciate their presence here. It didn't take a genius to realize exposure to this level of violence was better done progressively. Had they waited until their evolution to join the fight, they would have probably panicked when the first wave of monsters charged at them.
Div and En kept an eye on Gennorina, wondering what she was doing. The girl's eyes were still closed. She was still performing nature magic.
But their attention was soon captured by movements on the edge of the battlefield. near where Belilamos and Carmeta were fighting, a bear covered in rocks and dirt was moving toward the warriors.
Belilamos fired several arrows in its direction, but none of them penetrated the earthen layer covering the beast's skin.
"This is an Evolved Rank Stonehide Bear," Vedovessa said. "We covered this species last week, so you should know."
Div and En watched as the monster approached.
"Watch how they deal with it," Vedovessa said.