"Hey..""We're here."Louis welcomed Ash and Ian into the village while the elders and the chief remained stunned still."Great! You're back!"Erza approached them trying to ease out the air and also to retrieve the staff that Ian was holding in his left hand like a stick. "Miss Erza.. You guys have made quite the preparation I see."Ash commented as he looked around. It was pretty impressive considering the short time they had in hand."Thanks. By now, we're used to sudden attacks."She said as she smiled. Life on the desert was tough. It was tougher than anything the people living in cities could imagine. The heat, the food shortage, limited supply of water were the least of their worries. The monster attacks that happened at least once a month, the drought, the storm, there was nothing that they didn't have to deal with. "I see.. Oh, your father's staff.. He must've been feeling anxious without it, right? I apologize once again."Ash said as he glanced at Ian who was standing to

"How long do you think it'll take?"Louis asked, looking at the horizon which had turned completely black by now. "That's not what you should be worried about."Ash said, finishing his stretching. It was Ian's suggestion to always stretch well before going into a fight. That way, one won't suffer from sudden muscle sprain or any other variable."What should I be 'worried' about then?"Louis asked, frowning. He really hated this cheeky side of Ash. Made him want to punch the guy in the face."Hmm.. what about which one we should cook for dinner?"Ash asked, laughing. They did indeed have quite the variety right now while all they were looking for were some desert scorpions at first."That's a no-brainer. Of course we'll have whichever one brother thinks is the best."Louis sighed as he answered. It was obvious what they were gonna have for dinner. They always ate whatever Ian prepared for them, and Ian always prepared the best for them."Stop it guys.."Ian sighed from the side and to

An infinite monster wave. That's what it looked like to the people inside that small village.As far as their eyes could see, every single piece of land was covered by monsters, big and small, ugly and terrifying. "Will this ever come to an end?"One of the people from the offense party asked as he pierced a small monster through it's heart with a spear. Arthur was commanding them and making them take turns between defending the village and attacking the monsters. That way, they could get enough rest and catch their breathe inside this crazy madness. "At least nobody has died yet."One of the villagers spoke from a distance, slaying what it seemed like a mutant monster. The normal tribal villagers were stronger than average knights, which had surprised many people earlier. An average knight was stronger than ten soldiers combined, yet, they fell pale in comparison to these people. It was a truely bizzare situation."Fall back!"Someone's voice rang in the distance, and they all in

'Why is your soul in such a unsteady state? You okay?'The Phoenix asked as it felt the tremor in Ian's soul. He was worried since Ian was blocking him from reading his mind so he didn't know what Ian was thinking.It wasn't exactly Ian's doing either. Whenever he thought about the novel, an invisible barrier would appear automatically over his thoughts and block everyone out. Ian assumed that it probably had something to do with the change in dimensions and didn't pry further. But at times like these, he'd feel a stronger connection to Noah than Ian, the person he was compared to the one he is now. 'I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed I guess?'Ian wondered to himself as he answered the Phoenix. After Ian was done serving food for Arthur, that guy started helping Ian serve food to everyone using his wind. Everything was over in a second before Ian even realized what was happening."Thanks..."Ian plopped down near the kids since he had nothing more to do and started eating his dinn

As Arthur strictly refused the help of his teammates and asked them to go back, they could no longer voice any complains and decided to went back to their station. Although they didn't like how stubborn Arthur was, they also had some amount of self awareness. At least, they knew they wouldn't be able to hold the fort for too long, it wasn't their specialty. As a result, even when they were frustrated after feeling so useless, the only thing they could do was follow Arthur's advice. "I'll do it."Just when everyone had decided to go back, someone unexpected stepped forward and took the initiative. The voice was calm and lacked a sense of tension which was weird considering their situation, but it also gave people a feel of fresh air.As they looked back, they could see Ian standing a few steps away from Arthur, hands in his pocket and shoulder relaxed. Seeing Ian offering the same help that they offered moments ago, that too with such confidence and nonchalance, they all couldn't he