Unknown Odyssey

She composed herself, tying her hair back with swift precision. Glancing at the man standing beside her, she offered a small, confident smile. "Get the transport ready to move on my signal. First, get him out of here, then come back to assist me." Her gaze shifted to Enel as he strolled casually toward the bathhouse, completely unaware of the tension hidden in the shadows.

The man nodded without a word and disappeared, almost like he had never been there. Enel, oblivious to the exchange, continued his relaxed pace. She watched him for a moment longer before vanishing into the surroundings herself.

Enel stopped mid-step, turning around. He had wanted to say something. "Grandma Lisa, are you fr—" His words trailed off as his eyes searched the spot where she had been moments ago. "Huh... where did she go?" he muttered, scanning the area but finding no trace of her. Shrugging it off, he turned back. "I'll head to her office later, I guess."

When he reached the bathhouse, he was surprised to see someone still coming out. He frowned slightly. *What's he doing here? Everyone's supposed to have cleared out already.* His gaze landed on a boy with auburn hair and sharp brown eyes. The boy was taller, broader, and clearly older—16 to Enel's 14. His confident stride and smug expression only made his presence more noticeable.

"Hey, Moe, how's it going?" Enel called out, trying to muster a smile and remembering the advice Grandma Lisa had given him earlier. He attempted a friendly tone, even though his patience was wearing thin.

The older boy sneered in response, his disdain clear. As Enel moved to walk past him, Moe deliberately bumped into him, hard enough to make him stumble slightly.

"Stay away from me, white-haired curse," Moe spat, his voice dripping with venom, before walking off without a backward glance.

Enel stood frozen for a moment, his disbelief mingling with a familiar pang of hurt. *Curse... curse? Really?* He shook his head, the sting of the insult settling in his chest. Though he had grown used to it over the years, it still cut, no matter how many times he heard it.

Scoffing to himself, he muttered under his breath, "Misguided fool. At least I'm not the one with a stupid name like Moe. What were his parents thinking, giving him a crappy name like that?" A sour mood took hold of him as he pushed open the door to the bathhouse.

Inside, the sound of dripping water echoed softly, soothing his frayed nerves as he finally found a moment of peace—however brief it might be. He was using a towel to wipe himself, stretching his hand to grab his change of clothes, when realization struck. He had forgotten to bring them. Looking down at the clothes he wore for training, he sighed in frustration. "Well, damnit."

Walking across the field toward his living quarters, Enel muttered to himself, "I'll change once I get home... and probably see Grandma Lisa at her office." His living quarters were situated close to hers, which also doubled as the village head's office. Striding across the field in his threadbare training tunic, he couldn't help but notice something strange. The village was unusually quiet, and an unexplainable tension filled the air.

Looking around, his unease grew. *Something's wrong,* he thought. It was subtle but unmistakable. His suspicion was confirmed when he spotted a tall man with dark hair and equally dark eyes standing nearby. The man's broad shoulders and scarred left eye, along with the sword tied to his waist, gave him an intimidating appearance. It was Gerard, the village head's assistant. Normally serious, today he looked even graver than usual.

Enel approached him cautiously. "Is something wrong? Where's Grandma Lis—uh, I mean the village head?"

Gerard turned to him with a stern expression. His voice was hurried and firm. "Go pack your things and be ready to move when I say so. We don't have time anymore."

Enel's confusion grew. *Move when he says so? No time left? Time left for what?*

He was still gathering his thoughts when Gerard suddenly gripped his arm tightly. "Hold tight," Gerard commanded, pulling Enel along. They had barely taken a step toward Enel's quarters when a loud explosion shook the air. A shockwave tore through the village, causing the tree Enel had been lying under just minutes ago to sway violently. Smoke rose in the distance.

Gerard moved quickly, shielding Enel with his body. "Seems like there's no time left after all," he muttered grimly.

With those words, he called forth his summon. A massive wyvern descended from the skies, its powerful wings creating gusts of wind as it landed. Standing nearly four meters high and over ten feet long, the creature was an imposing sight. Its piercing eyes locked onto its master as Gerard signaled Enel to climb onto its back.

Enel hesitated, finally finding his voice as he turned to look at the village. Smoke was rising, and though the huge bathhouse blocked much of his view, he could tell the source of the chaos was near the entrance—or possibly the village square. "What's going on? Where's Grandma Lisa?" he asked, his voice edged with worry.

Gerard ignored the question, unceremoniously boosting Enel onto the wyvern's back before climbing up himself. "You don't need to worry about the village head. She'll be fine—for now. You're priority number one," Gerard stated firmly, signaling the wyvern to take off.

"Me? Priority number one?" Enel shouted over the rushing wind as they ascended. "What about the other villagers?"

Gerard opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a massive spear hurtled through the air with incredible speed, heading straight for them.

*Damn, I won't have time to retaliate,* Gerard thought, gritting his teeth and gripping his sword tightly. But for Enel, everything was happening too fast to comprehend.

Suddenly, almost like lightning, the village head appeared in front of them. She caught the large spear mid-air, her body hovering as though suspended by unseen forces. "Grandma Lisa," Enel whispered, his voice trembling.

She was different. The usual laid-back village head he knew was gone. In her place stood a woman stained with blood, her long red hair tied into a single bun. Her expression was hardened, her purple eyes blazing with determination.

She glanced at Enel, her voice sharp and commanding. "Listen to me, Enel. You are priority number one. You have to survive, no matter what. You cannot let *those people* get their hands on you. Do you understand?"

Enel nodded weakly, too overwhelmed to speak.

Turning to Gerard, she asked, "How long will it take you to get to the military stronghold in the east?"

"Thirty minutes," he replied, his tone steady.

"Make it twenty," she said firmly. "Ask for General Lucius. Tell them Lisa Hermosa sent you. Hand Enel over to him—he'll know what to do. Then come back to assist the villagers in escaping."

Turning her head back to the direction of the spear, a large arrow made of lightning flew toward her. Catching it in the nick of time, she grinned. "This will be tedious. Guess I'll have to use my weapon after all." She turned to look at them. "Get out of here," she said, stretching her hands downward. A chain, seemingly pulled by an unknown force, flew toward her. It was of inconceivable length, stretching around the entire village. As she pulled it out, it ended in a sharp blade. Looking at the place the arrow and spear came from, she rolled the chain around her arm and shouted, "You guys can stop hiding. I've already spotted you."

The debris shook as someone emerged from it, followed by more figures stepping out of the shadows—seven in total, facing her alone. "You must think you're sharp-eyed, you old hag," one of them sneered. "But we weren't hiding. We were waiting to see how smart you are. Turns out, you're pretty stupid—sending the only person capable of assisting you away for twenty minutes. Do you think you can defeat us in an hour, let alone twenty minutes? Look around. Have you gone senile?"

With that, he created a massive lightning pillar that extended upward. "Should I be impressed because you can make one lightning pillar?" she asked dryly. He created three more instantly. "Okay, that is impressive. And don't call me old hag. Sheesh, I didn't expect that from you guys. Aren't you expending too much aether with those pillars of lightning?" she warned.

"That's none of your business. Don't try to buy time with words. Whether I expend aether or not, there are more to take my place while I replenish my reserves."

She raised an eyebrow. "More?"

"Look around, old hag. We came prepared." With those words, more figures emerged from the shadows—hundreds of them.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping your throat out," he snarled. "You have nowhere to escape. You're surrounded by an army."

She scoffed. "We'll see who rips whose throat. And you've got it wrong you're the army surrounded by me."