Suddenly, a loud horn sound echoed throughout the entire forest.
The bushes around started shifting, the ground started shaking, and many growls came from every direction.
Electra pulled out two swords from the portal. She handed the first one to Layla and kept the other one to herself. Orion reached for the dagger that Electra had given him in the alley, back in the day, she was assigned to protect him.
Elaine looked around in terror, seeing countless, glowing, mindless yellow eyes glaring at them from the bushes and trees.
"W-What is happening?!" She asked in terror, not being able to move a single muscle out of fear.
Electra looked at her, gesturing for her to go away. "Get the fuck to the carriage, you idiot! We are under attack! Staying here is a death wish!" She gripped the sword, getting ready to kill anything the moment it charged at them.
"She's right! Come here, Elaine!" Alaric yelled, worried that his beloved daughter might be hurt. His heart was pounding like never before. He was truly afraid.
Elaine looked down at her legs and got on her feet, running up to her father in tears and hugging him tightly as they entered the carriage.
"There will be a big fight!" Lancelot said, excited out of his mind as he watched everything through a small hole in the carriage.
Elaine smacked his head, her face stained with tears. "You idiot! We can die here and you're all happy?!" She yelled at him, clearly disappointed and afraid.
Countless goblins began walking into the sunlight, insanity visible in their eyes ad they smiled widely, getting ready to hunt for their next meal.
"G-Goblins?! Why are there so many of them?!" Layla felt a lump in her throat, almost dropping the sword. "Do we even have a chance...?" She asked, hesitating.
Electra frowned. "We do have a chance... but who the hell would've known that they'll set up a trap! We got too comfortable! This isn't some kind of stupid trip! It's an escort mission!" She said in frustration, openly blaming herself for everything.
After a moment of hesitation, Orion finally took the dagger, gripping it tightly, tho he was more afraid than determined. "I already killed a goblin once... I-I can do it again, r-right?" He asked himself in his thoughts, not sure whether he would be able to do anything.
He looked at the goblins, noticing the same glowing green bags in their hands. "Layla, Electra! Listen to me!" He bit through his fear and finally managed to grab their attention.
The two looked at him curiously, wanting to know what he wanted in such a disturbing situation. "What?" Electra asked.
He pointed his dagger at the glowing green bags. "Avoid those bags... those are poisonous and can put you to sleep in a few moments!"
Suddenly the ground started trembling again, but this time it wasn't because of hundreds small goblins ran around at the same time...
...It was because the goblin champion had arrived.
It looked exactly the same as the beast Layla fought back in the cave, it had the same armor, same cloth, even the same cleaver.
Electra smirked nervously. "Well... our chances of survival just decreased by a ton~!" She chuckled.
Layla's eyes widened, but it wasn't terror, it was excitement. Her heart started pounding like insane as she felt a crazy urge to fight the monster. She smiled widely as the memories of the beast throwing her around like a human bag flashed before her eyes. "It's mine." She said, excited out of her mind.
"What? Not again!" Orion yelled, not allowing her to fight the monster alone.
Layla looked at him with determination. "I have already killed it once, so the second time will be twice as easy! After all, I also trained during our little trip, no~?" She smirked widely, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly.
Orion wanted to say something, but Electra grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head firmly. "She's right. We are outnumbered like never before. Out of the three of us, she is the most fitting to fight the champion."
Orion shook his head. "No! You can fight the champion, Electra! Don't put Layla in danger!" He yelled in anger.
"You don't understand, hatchling. I want to fight the beast, but I will be more of an asset fighting off the smaller goblins, because I can kill a lot of them at the same time." She flicked his forehead. "We will watch Layla's back when she is fighting the champion, that's the best we can do to help her."
Deep inside, Orion knew that Electra was right, after all she's been doing it for years, therefore she knew what she's doing and he understood it, but on the other hand he didn't want to put Layla in so much danger.
He hugged her, pleading for her to change her mind. "Layla, think about it one more time! The last time was already a close call! We can't afford to lose you!" He paused for a moment, tears welling up in his eyes. "I can't afford to lose you, you understand, you little idiot?!" He yelled in frustration.
She slapped him across the whole face. The slap was so fierce that the sound of it echoed through the forest. It left a red mark that resembled a hand on his cheek.
"You promised me!" She snapped, also tearing up. "You promised me that you'll believe in me! And what do I get, huh!? Why won't you just trust me, you stupid idiot, huh?! I'm giving my best to stay with you, to be a good asset for you! I'm doing everything just for you! If I wanted, I could be a goddamn Goddess, but I choose you over it!" She paused for a moment, hitting his chest with her forehead. "Why?! Why won't you trust me, you idiot?!" She screamed in fury and sadness.
She knows that she's right, but she still cannot understand why is he doing this to her. Her heart was pounding. She was feeling multiple emotions at the same time when she looked at him- fury, sadness, dissapointment and love.
She took a couple of short breaths and slapped him again, and again.
"You say... that you can't afford to lose me... but in the end... You still keep rejecting me! You claim that you need me... but you always shove me aside! You're treating me... as if I were a monster!" She screamed, pushing him away and turning her back on him. "I'm not stupid... I'm not just boobs, I'm not just ass, I'm not just legs, I'm not just a face! I am a human being! I am a smart girl... I'm not blind... I know that you see, hear, and know what I feel... but I don't understand... why aren't you doing anything with it... even a simple 'no' would be fine... either you do something... or we are done..." She screamed and then she charged at the goblin champion, fueled by rage and disappointment.
Without saying anything, Electra charged forward, fighting off the goblins as Layla fought the goblin champion.
A goblin tried to stab Orion with a knife from behind, but he caught its wrist without even turning around. "She's right... I'm a horrible person..." He gripped his dagger, tightening just teeth.
He closed his eyes.
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Ten years ago. The Fitonwich Orphanage.
It was already dark, a full moon visible in the sky, the smell of burning wood in the air.
The orphanage was collapsed, the parts that remained standing were in flames. A short dark silhouette standing in between all the burned debris.
Orion was standing here, tears dropping down his chin, but his eyes were wide open, filled with both rage and despair.
His skin was burned, and there were many bruises and fresh scars on his body. His clothes had multiple small holes, in which a child could fit their fingers just perfectly.
He looked around, seeing the corpses of other children everywhere. Some were beheaded, some had their guts ripped out, some were so massacred that he couldn't recognize them, a girl was pierced by a plank, pinning her lifeless body to the remains of the wall.
The nun, Almyra, the one who was the one responsible for the whole orphanage was still alive, tho there was no way she could live till the sun would rise, lighting up the disturbing scene.
Three of her limbs were ripped off, and one of her eyes was missing. She looked at him, reaching her remaining hand to grab his, pulling him closer.
"I want to kill that monster... it destroyed everything..." Orion uttered, hateful.
Almyra wrapped her arm around his head softly, kissing his forehead. "No..." She smiled as she spoke weakly. "You can't waste your time... you have no chance against it... I'm sure that Layla is still..." She coughed up blood. "Somewhere out there... reach out to her... and you two run away..." She teared up, running her hand through his hair.
"I... I can't... this monster... it killed everyone... it hurt you... It wants to hurt me... Layla can't be alive... It's impossible!" He cried out, hugging her tightly.
The nun shook her head. "She is alive... I saw her... under all that rubble... that's my last wish... take care of her... and remember..." She caressed her cheek. "Remember... the only good reason for hurting someone..." She paused, waiting for him to finish the sentence.
He smiled weakly, looking into her eyes. "Is saving an innocent life..." He said softly.
She patted his head softly- that was a gesture that he claimed for his life onward. "You're a smart boy... I'm sure... you'll take good care of her..." She coughed, the light slowly fading from her eyes. "I... love... you... Orion..." Her arm fell of his head, lifeless. She was still staring at him, even after death, her smile remained.
"I love you too... big sister Almyra..." He smiled, both in happiness and despair, closing her eyes.
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Back in the present, he opened his eyes, wiping a tear off his cheek.
"Layla is right, I am not perfect. I have flaws. I keep many things from her." He said calmly, turning around to look into the goblin's eyes, which were full of fear.
It tried to pull its hand away, but Orion didn't let it do that. "But I need to do everything, and I meant everything to protect her, not just from the world, but also myself." He unnaturally twisted the goblin's forearm, breaking it in half, ripping its flesh.
The green blood splashed across his face as he beheaded it with his dagger, grabbing its knife and throwing it at the goblin who was running towards the carriage, piercing its head.
Electra smirked widely, clearly pleased. "It's about the time, hatchling!" She yelled in excitement as many of her portals started opening everywhere, various weapons launching themselves out of them, killing the goblins.
Lancelot watched the bloodshed from the carriage, smiling from ear to ear. "Wow! That's amazing! I wish I could be like them one day!" He said.
Elaine shook her head and sighed deeply as she saw how calm her brother and father were.
Layla was barely holding her own against the goblin champion, landing a few weak slashes, mainly due to the monster's massive size.
"Damn it! How is that thing so tough and fast at the same time?!" She rolled her eyes, looking over at Electra, expecting a tip. "Ellie!?" She yelled, dodging the huge cleaver.
"What?" Electra asked, slashing through five goblins with a simple swing of her spear.
Layla blocked the cleaver, holding the goblin champion in place for a moment. "I was told that I possess Special Magic, but I have no idea how to use it or what it does! Can you give me a hint?!"
Electra drew a sword, doing a graceful backflip and kicking a goblin's head into the ground, completely smashing its skull and brain. "You need to imagine it! Imagine something that's only yours!"
The goblin champion kicked Layla away, smashing her into a tree. She blacked out for a moment.
Orion saw what happened, but this time he decided to trust her for real, slicing through the goblins as if they were butter.
"Where the hell do you take all those weapons from, Electra?!" He asked with amazement, ripping a goblin's head off.
"When I toss something into the portal, it stays there forever! The things that fly out are just copies! It works on everything but intelligent species like humans and others!" She smirked, proud of the power she had.
Layla regained her consciousness right before the goblin champion sliced her in half with the cleaver. She rolled away and stabbed its left forearm.
The beast growled loudly, stumbling back in pain and furrowing its eyebrows. And then it charged at her, twice as fast as earlier, throwing a barrage of slashes which Layla barely parried and dodged.
"I-I can't imagine anything! I want a power like Ellie! If she deserves it, then I should be more worthy! She has such a simple power! I want it!" She thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment, instinctively dodging every swing of the cleaver.
It wasn't only jealousy she felt, it was craving, it was determination, it was fire that lit up her entire being. "I want to be a Goddess! So I will become one myself! A Goddess that will finally claim her love for herself... and only herself!" She screamed in her eyes thoughts, opening her eyes, a look of obsession on her face.
"ELLIE!" She screamed, smiling widely, lost in the moment as she barely dodged the cleaver, many red lines ran through Layla's body, her clothes torn in many places.
Both Electra and Orion looked at her in confusion, caught off guard by her. "What?!" Electra roared, slightly exhausted by the bloodbath.
"Your power is taken~!" She yelled, following hundreds of black portals opening everywhere around.
"HUH?!" Electra squeaked so loudly that even the goblins went silent.
Orion's eyes widened, and he sighed proudly. "Layla... you really are..." He chuckled.
Lancelot's smile widened. "No way..." He murmured.
Layla jumped back, tossing her sword into one of the portals.
Silence.
And then countless swords launched, piercing all the goblins, slashing their limbs off, cutting their hearts out, beheading them, and creating a gruesome scene.
Seven swords pierced into the goblin champion's body, killing it on the spot before it could even realize what was going on.
Everyone and everything was covered in goblin blood. That attack wiped out every goblin there was, leaving no danger whatsoever.
Electra stared at Layla as she fell to the ground, unconscious. "Did she just use my Special Magic!?" She asked loudly, an awkward smirk on her face.
Orion chuckled mockingly. "Well, it seems she did haha!" He paused for a moment and ran up to Layla, picking her up on his back. "But why did she pass out?" He asked curiously.
"She obviously ran out of mana, you idiot." Electra groaned.