Nuriel pushed his body to the limit. In that moment, he realized just how pathetically unfit his new body was.
Spending hours lifting debris and navigating through dead bodies was something he was neither mentally nor physically prepared for.
He began reminiscing about his previous life. Born into the middle class, he had lived a decent life that was away from pollution and danger.
Back then, Earth truly lived up to its name, a piece of dirt circling a star that burned away the atmosphere, bit by bit, each year.
Even with advanced technology and the discovery of magic, humanity couldn't reverse the effects of pollution built up from centuries of exploitation.
With no other choice, they began spreading outward, occupying and exploiting every planet they touched, as if they had learned nothing.
But Nuriel was never someone who cared much for the intricacies of space environmentalism.
Unlike others who only cared about surviving and scraping by, Nuriel was born with an exceptional mind for magic. Though he couldn't use it himself, he could engineer systems around it.
Soon, he made a name for himself developing the Scepter System, until he was betrayed.
Back in that life, he never needed to put in much effort just to survive. Simply existing was enough for wealth to come to him.
But perhaps putting in elbow grease to save lives made up for the physical pain.
It was now past midnight. Gathering and treating the survivors had taken hours. Afterward, the train crew detached the locomotive and one intact car packed with the injured.
The rest of the passengers walked through the chilling night, following the train as it rolled ahead slowly enough for them to keep up.
'So tiring...' Nuriel contemplated leaving his briefcase behind. It dragged down his tired arm like a dumbbell, and switching arms wasn't helping at all.
Seeing his tired expression, Edward's lips and eyes crept upward. Nuriel caught the scene from his peripheral vision and almost prayed that Edward wouldn't disturb him in his already decrepit state.
"Tired already? You do know that librarians at Owhen University tend to pull the most all-nighters out of all the faculty, right?" Edward said, his tone teasing, trying to draw something out of Nuriel.
'Oh... Edward, if it's a reaction you want, then you're getting nothing.' Nuriel turned his head toward Edward, his expression trying its best to appear sincere. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Did being a hero feel nice? Out of everyone trying to help, I'm pretty sure you were the one who found the most survivors," Edward said, his expression bright as if the incident had never happened.
'How much energy does this guy have?' Nuriel eyed Edward without saying a word. His gaze alone was enough to make Edward slightly uncomfortable.
Looking at him now, Edward was a bit taller, his arms clearly more muscular, and his liveliness hinted at impressive stamina.
Thinking back, Nuriel remembered him mentioning he was a magic engineering instructor. But judging by his build, that was hard to believe.
'Shouldn't he be a knight instructor instead? Even if this world uses gunpowder, the presence of magic would still make close-quarters combat a necessity.'
Then again, back in his world, he had heard of soldiers using magic to augment physical strength. But since he hadn't specialized in that field, he never bothered learning more.
However, If memory served him right, they'd still need computers to help facilitate the flow of magic through their bodies. Enhancing muscle fibers and physical speed required perfect precision. One imbalance could lead to gruesome injuries, like twisted limbs and shattered bones from sheer force of their movement.
'If that's the case… and Sayla being able to cast anesthesia magic without computer aid, then humans of this era have definitely evolved to use and project magic independently.'
Nuriel continued eyeing Edward as if he were some kind of circus freak.
Edward eventually avoided his gaze and sought refuge in trying to get a reaction from his sister.
"How are you holding up? Do you want me to carry you?"
"No. Please keep your eyes out for danger instead of fooling around," Sayla hissed.
Her tone, along with Nuriel's silent scrutiny, finally made Edward shut up.
"Don't mind my brother. He jokes around when he's nervous," Sayla let out a small laugh to comfort Nuriel.
But her awkward laugh was obvious to both Nuriel and Edward. She was nervous too. None of them had forgotten the potential danger of the fallen creature lurking in the woods.
Nuriel couldn't help but turn around from time to time. Each glance carried the expectation of some monstrous being emerging behind them, drooling like a wolf stalking a herd of sheep.
Before long, a series of bright lights appeared in the distance ahead, easing everyone's nervousness.
The caravan halted in its tracks, and the train followed shortly after, letting out a screech as the brakes ground against the metal wheels.
The lights grew brighter and closer, revealing a platoon of soldiers on horseback. Their blue trench coats billowed in the wind as they galloped forward.
At the head of the formation was a lone knight in steel armor, not on a horse, but running alongside them, somehow keeping pace with ease.
As the two groups met, the knight was the first to approach. The passengers' faces lit up, expecting their knight in shining armor to bring reassuring news.
The knight spoke. His husky voice echoed behind the vents of his helmet: "You shall not pass. From now on, you will stay put until morning."
The crowd erupted.
"This is insane!"
"We have injured!"
"Owhen is only hours away on foot! Why must we stop?"
But the knight didn't budge. He doubled down on his statement, unmoved by the growing anger.
The soldiers dismounted, and the officers barked orders.
One unit began assembling an artillery piece, lugging a heavy metal barrel toward the wheeled base pulled by a horse.
The passengers fell silent soon after. Their supposed saviors only heightened their dread as the soldiers moved with the precision of men preparing for war.
In no time, the soldiers formed a perimeter around the passengers, rifles pointed outward toward the forest's edge.
'This is troubling… they already knew a fallen creature is here, and they're prepared to fight it.'
Nuriel glanced around. The passengers could only huddle close to the train. Edward and Sayla seemed to be in the same predicament.
'We're gonna be in the crossfire at this rate.'
He turned toward Sayla, who stood right beside him.
"Will it attack despite the presence of more people?"
Sayla replied without looking away from the forest.
"Some are cunning. It hasn't attacked yet, so it must be waiting for an opening or for some other reason we don't know."
She finally took her eyes off the tree line and glanced at the soldiers on standby.
"Let's hope it's smart enough to leave us alone."
The tense atmosphere turned eerily silent before it was broken by a single shout.
"Screw this! I'm walking by myself if I have to!"
A man stormed along the rail tracks, trying to push past the circle of soldiers.
"S-Stop right there!" a young soldier barked. Pointing his rifle at the man as his arms were visibly shaking.
Before an officer could step in to de-escalate, things spiraled. One outburst led to another, and suddenly half the passengers were protesting, surging toward the front of the train.
"You gonna shoot me?! Try it!"
"Let us out!"
"Don't force us into some war!"
The perimeter started to falter. Soldiers at the flanks hesitated, unsure whether to help at the front or keep watch on the forest.
Then, the knight at the far front leaped into the air. The gravel beneath his feet turned to fine dust under the sheer force of his legs.
He landed on top of the train, seemingly unbothered by the chaos below.
The protests escalated into shoves and raised voices. The crowd grew louder, more impatient.
"He's got a gun!" a soldier yelled, pointing into the mass of people.
In that instant, everyone turned to look. Confusion swept through the group.
A perfect opening.
From the shadows, a large figure emerged, followed by smaller ones.
The soldiers who reacted fast enough opened fire without waiting for orders, shooting blindly into the trees, hoping to hit something.
But it was too late.
A creature appeared in front of a soldier. Its body was cloaked in dark, tentacle-like skin that twisted and spun like a tornado. Its mouth gaped open in a perfect circle, a red glow pulsing from within, warping the air like a mirage, it's two pitch black eyes staring into him.
"Start shooting! Start fucking shooting!"