The invasion has been relentless. Despite the efforts of the Mestian Defense Force and even the Gloom Organization, the fighting has yet to cease. It's time I take up my mantle and protect the people, it is my responsibility.

Ali was currently in a medical room, conducting different physical tests while being observed by a doctor who held a clipboard and was checking various things.

Fiona was present as well, but she was mostly there because she had been personally assigned to Ali at this point.

"Have you been feeling any discomfort recently?" asked the doctor, adjusting her glasses. "Nausea, dizziness, weakness, or any of the like?"

"No, I've been feeling fine."

"Well, you've passed all the physical examinations with no problem. Have you been eating well?"

"Yes."

"I can attest to that," said Fiona happily. "Miss Alika has been regularly eating her meals, and I've been providing her with plenty of water as well."

The doctor nodded, checking off something on her clipboard. She then hesitated a moment, looking up at Ali. "And your… abilities. Have you practiced at any point in the last week?"

"My basic ones, yes. Nothing significant occurred while I used them."

"Well then," said the doctor, putting the clipboard down. "You are all clear, Ms. Alika Matthews. Don't push yourself too hard and take care of your health."

Ali slowly nodded her head, subconsciously tugging on her sleeves. "I'll make sure to."

She stood up from the chair she'd been sitting on and headed to the door, Fiona jumping up and following her as well.

"It's good to know you're doing well," said Fiona as they walked back to Ali's room. "What's going to happen now?"

"I'm not sure. Aurora will most likely want to know the results of my examination. With all the fighting going on, they'll need me as soon as possible."

"But… you're not ready for that so soon, right?"

Ali considered the question as they reached her floor. It'd been about a week since she first came to. And while she had a shaky few days, she was feeling better, physically at least.

She hadn't told anyone about the nightmares that regularly haunted her, not even Fiona. Every time she had them, it felt like a sharp knife cutting through pre existing wounds. Every occurrence of those nightmares would leave her feeling drained and empty. She wished for it to end, for all of it to end.

But something told her otherwise. Whether she wanted it or not, so many people had come into her life. She couldn't be selfish and abandon all of them, even at the cost of her own suffering. And most of all, Karl could be out there, waiting for her. She had to keep on fighting, it would give her a chance to find him.

"I'm ready to fight if that's what they need me to do."

Fiona looked a bit sad. "I'd figured you'd say that, but I understand. You're such a kind person, Lady Alika. You're not like the other Chosen. I trust you."

Ali was surprised by the girl's words. She managed a small smile, a feeling of happiness blooming in her heart.

"Thank you, Fiona."

Fiona smiled as well, placing her hands behind her as she walked closer to Ali.

As they neared Ali's room, they saw Melusine standing there. Aurora had never truly met her, since she was typically with Aurora, who spent more time on the battlefield than she did at her mansion.

Unlike their previous encounter, Melusine was wearing a full combat suit, a high-tech lance strapped to her back.

"Good morning, Ms. Matthews. How'd your examination go?"

"Oh, hi. Melusine, was it? It was fine, the doctor said I was cleared."

Melusine nodded. Before turning to Fiona. "Hello, Fiona. How have you been doing? It's been quite some time since we last saw each other."

Fiona nodded, her eyes nearly glowing. "I've been good! I've been carrying out my tasks with the utmost responsibility and care!"

Melusine smiled. "That's good to hear. How are the others doing?"

"They're all doing great! I haven't been able to talk with Brent much though. His new job is very demanding. But I'm happy for him."

"Of course, getting a new job is always something to feel good about. Brent's a hard worker, his position is anything if not deserved. Now, I need to talk to Ms. Matthews privately. Take care of yourself, Fiona."

Fiona nodded, heading down the hallway. "Bye Melusine, bye Alika!"

Melusine waved her goodbye with a smile. "She's a kindhearted girl. One of the many orphans Aurora took under her care."

"She seems to look up to you."

"I see them often, with Aurora or on my own. Now, I assume you know why I'm here."

Alin nodded, she knew that Melusine had been waiting to hear the result of her examination and whether she'd be ready to fight. After all, the current situation was dire, and they needed as much support as they could get.

"First and foremost, it's good to hear that you're feeling well. Had the state of the Mestian Defense Force not called for you, Aurora would be more than willing to let you rest as many days as you needed."

"What's the plan?"

"You and I will be sent to the Jaune City military base alongside a transport of supplies and soldiers. From there, we are to join with him and form our own specialist unit."

While not clearly stated, Ali had a good idea of who Melusine was referring to. While she didn't know the full details, Heyden and Melusine hadn't exactly hit it off.

"I thought Heyden was in his own unit?"

"Some problems occurred with his unit. Apparently, he's very easy to dislike. Because of that, it was decided by the military council that it'd be better if he was with similarly able fighters."

"But that only leaves three of us."

"Not a problem with me around. You're plenty powerful yourself, I heard about what you did."

"I don't think I could do it again, even if I wanted to."

"That's okay, people adapt easily. Is there anything you need to do before we head out?"

Ali considered the question. "No."

Melusine nodded, heading down the hallway. "All right, come with me, everything's already been prepared," she turned around, a collected and neutral expression about her. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do."

Heyden walked around the military base, aimlessly wandering as he watched the people around him move back and forth, tugging supplies, performing drills, and the like.

Ever since he left his unit, he'd either fought alone or alongside Melusine. He didn't miss his unit. While most of them ignored him, Johnson had been a real pain in the ass and Heyden wouldn't give a damn if the man ended up losing a limb or two.

However, fighting alongside Melusine wasn't a pleasant experience either. For starters, she absolutely hated him for reasons he had yet to fully understand. Simply being with her overwhelmed his sense of animosity to the point where he felt like he was going to pass out. And when she wasn't ignoring him, she typically pointed out how he was 'using his abilities all wrong', or that he shouldn't have them in the first place.

Yet, no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he could sense a feeling of loneliness and betrayal coming from her, which made it difficult to fully hate her. Sometimes, he wondered if this gift of his was a curse.

Pushing these thoughts away, he continued to observe the activity of the gathered soldiers from atop an empty weapons crate, silently watching without noting anything.

"Hey! What are you doing over there?" shouted a voice.

Unfortunately for Heyden, it was a very familiar voice. Storming towards him was Johnson, the hotheaded, blonde-haired man who was too tall for Heyden's liking.

"What are you staring at? The next place you'll send your Pokémon to attack?"

Heyden shook his head, his voice serious. "No, I'm looking for something to shove up the mouth of an annoying blond who won't shut up and probably has a very serious inferiority complex considering his actual army rank is far below mine."

Johnson glowered at him. "Listen, kid, I don't give a shit about ranks. You disrespect me, I beat you."

"Please don't. I'd rather not blow you apart."

"Is that a threat?"

"More of a response."

Johnson opened his mouth to speak, but an intense shaking from below threw him off his feet. Heyden clutched the sides of his crate to hang on, not landing spectacularly on his face like Johnson.

The shaking did not stop, throwing the military base into a panic as they all tried to figure out what was going on. Heyden closed his eyes, his senses pierced by a sharp feeling of hatred and vengefulness.

"It's a Pokémon attack," he said, getting to his feet. Fortunately, careful observation of Melusine taught him to levitate a few centimeters off the ground, sparing him from the quake.

"Johnson, gather everyone you can and tell them to get ready. I can sense the anger of a rapidly approaching Pokémon from underground."

"As if! The moment I leave this spot I'm going to die, you caused this!"

"Go ahead and die for all I care. At least don't spend your last moments-"

He didn't get to finish as the ground around him exploded, a massive Steelix rising into the air, and sending chunks of earth hurtling across the base. From the hole it created, groups of Pokémon began swarming across the base, their eyes set on the humans.

Fortunately, the quakes and Heyden's warning had cued them to the fact something was amiss. In no time at all, people began engaging the Pokémon with their weapons. It was a rule of living in the middle of a warzone to always be prepared. This sudden raid was a testament to that fact.

"All ground units attack the emerging Pokémon forces!" ordered the base captain, taking control of the situation. "Heyden, engage the Steelix. I want all aerial units to target the Steelix, use of heavy weaponry has been authorized!"

"This doesn't change anything," said Johnson, hefting his gun and charging for an Excadrill.

Heyden ignored him as he flew into the air, Dynamax Energy surrounding him. Gathering energy around him, he fired a massive laser into the side of the Steelix's head, purple light exploding around it.

The Steelix flattened itself against the ground and swung its massive tail into the air in a deadly arc. Heyden dropped several meters down, the force of the attack sending him flying backward even without a direct hit.

Landing on the ground, he activated the gauntlets on his hands. These ones were the same kind as Melusine's. Since their powers were pretty much the same, the weapons fit him perfectly.

He slammed a hand on the ground, drawing the natural energy from the air and turning it into Dynamax Energy before shooting it through the ground. The earth around the Steelix began to glow before the light shot upwards, engulfing it in energy.

At the same time, a Noivern came swooping towards him. Getting to his feet, he leaped forward, his gauntlets glowing as he channeled Dynamax Energy through them. The moment he made contact, the stored Dynamax Energy surged forward and blasted the Noivern meters away.

"No wonder she hits so hard," said Heyden, shaking his hand.

The Steelix roared, stones floating around it as it gathered power. Heyden flew forward as the stones were launched at him, punching his way through them. He gathered energy between his hands and fired it at a large stone heading toward him, shattering it into pieces.

He flew around the Steelix, firing multiple lasers at its head. The Steelix didn't flinch from the attack and dove head-first into the ground, tunneling down and swinging its tail at Heyden.

Heyden saw the attack coming and dodged accordingly, watching as the tail flattened a building behind him.

Despite its destructive force, Heyden could tell it was holding back. The reason is quite obvious. With all of its allies around, it could go full force without severely injuring them. But that raised the question, why bring allies along in the first place?

Heyden paused, trying to tune into the Steelix's emotions. He could sense an air of assuredness from it, it had a backup plan for sure.

Down on the ground, the military forces were being overwhelmed with Pokémon. The armored infantry did their best to fight back, but their superior technology couldn't win against such numbers.

Johnson watched as a man next to him fell, his torso crushed by the powerful tail of a Rhyperior. He pulled out a grenade and threw it with an angry scream, the explosive going off with a powerful blue light. He gripped his gun with two hands and fired as many rounds as he could before it was depleted.

Despite everything he did, the Rhyperior bore down on him, its arm going straight for his face. He felt a heavy impact to his side as a woman tackled him, throwing both of them clear from the attack.

The woman turned and fired at the Rhyperior, landing a shot in its face and causing it to stagger back in pain.

"These Pokémon are highly resistant to our weapons," said the woman, dragging Johnson backward. "Almost all of them have a Rock, Earth, or Steel affinity and have powerful defenses."

"This was planned and coordinated with our weaknesses in mind," said Johnson bitterly. "It's almost as if someone's been feeding them information!"

"You're Johnson, right? We all know you hate the guy, but now isn't the time to focus on that. We need to regroup and retreat."

Johnson didn't respond. The woman was right, they didn't stand a chance here. But he didn't want to just give up, they were fighting for a purpose.

"Has the-"

His question was interrupted as his radio sparked to life, the captain's voice crackling to life.

"All infantry units, fall back and regroup in Section K outside of the military base! Reinforcements are en route, and we will meet with them there. Aerial units, continue course!"

Johnson nodded, looking at the woman. "All right, I'll come with you. We're still in this, those Pokémon won't threaten our city for much longer."

Heyden heard the call for retreat, contemplating his options. The commander hadn't explicitly told him to retreat, but unlike the aerial units, hadn't been told to continue fighting.

Unlike the many soldiers on the battlefield, he had no real reason to keep fighting. He didn't care what happened to all the people around him, and he didn't care what happened to the Pokémon. Had he not made a deal with Aurora, he would've preferred to go into hiding, living however he wished.

He watched as the Steelix attacked with another Rock Slide, avoiding the torrent of rocks before lashing out with a pulse of Dynamax Energy, the attack once more doing little in the way of damage.

Currently, the two of them were at a standstill. Heyden's mobility made it easy to dodge the Steelix's attacks, but there was little he could do to harm it. Was this its plan? Keep him and other major threats busy as its underlings took care of the military?

Watching the retreat take place, Heyden realized this was most likely the case. The Pokémon chased the fleeing soldiers as they exited the base. Even the fastest among the Pokémon seemed to hang back a bit, allowing the people to escape farther and farther.

It was when he felt a surge of confidence from the Steelix that he realized they'd played into its hands.

A powerful laugh erupted from the Steelix causing Heyden to whip around in surprise.

"Behold, traitor. The people you chose to protect have departed, my soldiers in pursuit. They will die, with their savior too far to answer their cries for help. As for you, I will kill you personally!"

Before Heyden could respond, a rainbow flash of light filled the air, energy swirling around the Steelix as a cocoon covered its body. With another explosion of light, the Steelix let out a roar as it Mega Evolved.

"Writhe in my unleashed power!"

The Steelix slammed itself against the ground, causing a massive Earthquake that sent tremors coursing through the base, collapsing buildings and splintering the ground.

"You forget," said Heyden, unaffected by the Earthquake. "I'm up here."

The Steelix slammed its tail against the ground, the force sending the rubble flying into the air. With a powerful Hyper Voice, it sent the debris hurtling at Heyden, far too fast for him to dodge.

Heyden cursed, throwing his hands up to his face. Suddenly, a black mass of shadows formed in front of him. The debris flew into the mass and appeared directly above the Steelix.

Heyden looked around in surprise, spotting Ali floating several meters away. Calmly extending her arm, she caused the debris' gravity to intensify, sending them hurtling at intense speeds into the Steelix and burying it beneath its own attack.

The Steelix roared and burst free from the rubble, opening its mouth as it charged a Hyper Beam.

Melusine dove downwards from the sky, her lance glowing as she funneled Dynamax Energy into it. She flew back and forth, slashing the Steelix's head before dashing off as it tried to blast her with its attack.

Melusine's spear sparked dangerously, clearly overheating from its rapid overuse. She ignored this however and struck the blue unarmored segments across its body, flying away as it lashed at her with its tail.

Heyden flew towards Ali, a wide smile on his face. "Is it me, or is everyone flying nowadays?"

Ali gave him a small smile. "It's good to see you too, Heyden."

"You sure picked the worst time to recover. They've already thrown you on the battlefield. They really need to have more consideration for elders."

Ali had nearly forgotten Heyden's sarcastic humor wasn't always so tasteful. "I'm not that-"

Ali broke off in her sentence as a storm of rocks came flying towards them. She opened another Warp Gate, sending the rocks crashing into the ground below them.

Melusine flew in from behind them. "Now isn't the best time to catch up, not if you value living."

"Welp, I don't!" Heyden said cheerfully. "But your concern is sweet."

"It wasn't directed towards you."

The Steelix roared once more, shifting their attention as it swung a massive tail towards them. Ali grabbed both of their arms and shifted into a shadow, phasing all three of them through the attack before teleporting onto the ground.

"I forgot how trippy that was," wheezed Heyden, getting to his feet. "Shadow sickness aside, how do we beat that thing? It has shrugged off nearly every attack we've thrown at it. You guys weren't there, but that thing was capable of tanking my attacks before it got a super form."

Melusine frowned, intrigued. "Super form?"

"Mega Evolution," said Ai. "I recognize it from my world. But Pokémon without trainers shouldn't be capable of doing it."

"Well, your world's a bit strange considering people raised Pokémon."

"We don't have time for useless comments," said Melusine, watching the Steelix as it searched for them. "Unfortunately, none of my attacks seemed to do much either, even against its seemingly unprotected areas."

Heyden looked around. "Weren't we supposed to receive aerial support?"

"Whatever happened to it doesn't matter right now. Miss Matthews, do you think you'll be able to incapacitate the Steelix for a few seconds?"

"Yes."

Melusine nodded, her spear glowing and humming dangerously as she fed Dynamax Energy into it. "Once we're out there, incapacitate the Steelix for as long as you can. I'll attack its face while it's down."

"As will I," said Heyden. "In case you forgot I was here."

Melusine flew into the air, her spear ready. "Don't lag behind.

Heyden shrugged. "Not the worst person I've ever met."

The Steelix roared again as Melusine came into view, diving headfirst into the ground and using Stone Edge, creating massive pillars of rocks. Melusine flew past every single one of them, slicing through a building-sized pillar as it grew in front of her.

"Now!"

Ali nodded, flying forward and gathering power in her hands. The pillars around her crumbled to dust and small fragments, swirling around her as she levitated them. Before the Steelix could react, she sent the shards hurtling towards it, trapping it in rock shards before intensifying gravity and slamming it into the ground.

The Steelix opened its mouth and fired a Hyper Beam, straight for Melusine as she flew towards it. Without hesitation, she stopped mid-flight and summoned her stored Dynamax Energy. Firing an even bigger beam of pure energy. From a few meters away, Heyden fired an even larger Eternabeam, his body glowing from all the energy he'd been passively storing.

The three beams collided with an explosive shockwave, knocking Melusine and Heyden backward. Their two attacks combined and blasted the Hyper Beam away, striking the Steelix directly in the face.

"Let's see you come back from that," said Heyden, shaking bits of rubble off of him.

Melusine shook her head. "Powerful attack or not, it's still resisted."

As if to prove her right, the Steelix rose upwards with a groan, Ali's gravity hold fading away due to exhaustion as she fell to the ground.

"Is that all the strength you can muster?" asked the Steelix, albeit unsteadily. "My kind should've wiped yours out before you had a chance to break the Sacred Oath."

"I hate to say this," said Heyden, helping Ali to her feet. "But we can't keep fighting like this."

"You can't," said Melusine. "But I am perfectly capable of continuing on."

Heyden gave her a look. But before he could make any snide comments, his radio buzzed, the captain's voice coming in.

"Heyden, do you copy?"

"Yeah!" shouted Heyden, he, Melusine, and Ali leaping away as the Steelix's tail came bearing down on them. "But I'm in a bit of a pickle- make that the whole jar!"

"I need you and everyone else to clear out. Heavy explosives will be deployed at your location at any minute."

"What?"

"Heavy explosives will be deployed at your location. I need you and your team to clear out before they go off."

"What do you mean by deploy-"

He paused as a bright flash of electricity filled the air. The electricity trailed across the Steelix, small beeping devices appearing wherever it passed.

Heyden watched in surprise, landing on the ground some distance away from Melusine and Ali. Suddenly, a tanned boy with messy brown hair stood in front of him, electricity flying off his body.

"Hi! I'm Luke. You might want to get out of here before this entire place blows up. I'm your backup, by the way."

Heyden jumped back at the boy's sudden appearance but realized he had a point. He could see in the distance two rapidly approaching military planes, both of them with missiles. From what he gathered, Luke had put explosives across the Steelix's body. And the military's way of detonating them was to fire missiles.

The Steelix quickly realized something was off. It reared backward and slammed its body against the ground, triggering some of the explosives. Roaring in pain, it slammed its body against the ground once more, using Stone Edge and sending rock pillars flying toward the group of Chosen.

Melusine flew upwards, her spear poised to strike at the nearest pillar. Before she reached it, however, a blue light flashed through the air, slicing the pillar into multiple sections and causing it to explode.

Cynthia landed on the ground, her sword landing next to her.

"I am Cynthia of the Intrepid Sword, descendant of the Legendary Galarian Nobles and Chosen of Zacian herself! Rouge Pokémon, your madness ends here!"

Melusine froze, staring at the newcomer before her. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice cold with anger.

Cynthia turned around, only for Heyden to jump in front of Melusine, having picked up on her fury from far away.

"We don't-"

"Move," said Melusine, her voice dangerously low as she brandished her spear.

Cynthia regarded Melusine with new interest. "There's no mistaking it, you're wielding Dynamax Energy. That makes you Eternatus' Champion, does it not?"

"And what if it does?"

Cynthia pulled her sword from the ground, leveling it at Melusine. "Then that makes us enemies. The way you hold your spear, you've already challenged me. I won't-"

"WE HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS!" shouted Heyden, jumping between the two. And firing a Dynamax Cannon as a storm of rocks came flying at them. At the same instance, Ali sent a wave of shadows to knock the projectiles away.

Cynthia whirled around in surprise. "Two of you?"

"Guys!" shouted Luke. "Missile en route!"

Heyden cursed, this situation had gone from bad to worse instantly. Before anyone could so much as move, there was an ear splitting sound and a blinding flash as the missile struck the Steelix, detonating every last explosive on its body.

Heyden coughed violently, shaking off bits of debris. Freezing for a moment, he turned around and threw up, his stomach unsettled from the instant transportation.

"You good?" asked Luke, leaning forward.

Heyden turned around, visibly annoyed. "No, I am not good!" he shouted, facing Melusine and Cynthia, who were glaring at each other. "May I kindly ask, what the fuck was that? Things definitely didn't get out of hand there. I honestly should've let you two duke out whatever rivalry you had and let you die there."

"Where are we anyways?" asked Luke.

Melusine turned her glare on him. "Mind your tongue, imitator. You don't get to admonish me, you're not the only one capable of feeling, you don't know what it's like to be me, you haven't the slightest idea what I've been through because of her."

"Blame me all you want," said Cynthia. "But I've never met you. Had I met you before, then you wouldn't be here."

"I'm not talking about you," snapped Melusine, red lines appearing on her body out of anger. She opened her mouth to speak but growled out of frustration and flew off, a sonic boom erupting below her as she did.

Luke looked around. "Well, that esc-"

Heyden shook his head. "Don't, just don't."

Everyone stood in silence for a moment, the tension still floating in the air.

Ali paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Thank you for coming to our aid-"

"What aid?" asked Heyden.

"If you don't mind," said Ali, giving Heyden a warning look. "Would you please introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Luke Alistar, Chosen of Regieleki!"

"I am Cynthia of the Intrepid-"

"We've heard the entire spiel," said Heyden. "I'm Heyden Asher, Chosen by no one important."

"And I am Alika Matthews. Chosen by Giratina."

"I've heard of your names," said Luke. "Miss Gawain told me that you work for Aurora and are aiding against the Pokémon invasion. Cynthia and I are going to be joining you guys."

Heyden rolled his eyes. "Oh great, let's hope it doesn't turn out as terribly as this time. Wait a minute, did we even defeat the thing? Everything went white. In fact, everything went so white that everything's brighter than usual."

"I don't think that's how that works," said Luke. "I can go check though."

"No," said Heyden. "We'll stick together. Besides, I need you to keep your companion in check."

Cynthia bristled indignantly. "Don't speak about me like that. In case you don't know, I still know who chose you."

Heyden sighed. "Someone end me already."

Gawain stood in front of the fallen Steelix, her sword sheathed. She had witnessed its final moments. She found herself unable to blame the Pokémon. It had only been acting upon what it believed to be best for its kin, giving up its life for a selfless cause. Pokémon and people shouldn't need to fight each other, how could they not exist peacefully?

Gawain stood to her feet, offering a silent prayer to the Steelix. Right now, the world was in a time of war. And when it came to war, only one side could win. For there to be peace, there had to be war.

Her next objective would be to rescue the separated army members from the base. She already had confirmation that Luke, Cynthia, and the others were safe thanks to Ali's power. With the major threat gone, they should have no trouble getting to safety.

She took off down a side street. According to the reports, the military was meant to regroup in Section K. However, they had been pursued by Pokémon and split up.

Within a few minutes, she heard the sound of fighting. Drawing her sword, she rushed forward in the direction she heard the noises coming from, leaping through an overturned building.

In front of her, three military agents were sprawled on the ground, one of them bleeding severely. In front of the fallen soldiers, was a plain-clothed man with a headband, battling a large Garchomp head-on.

The man weaved around a Dragon Claw, bringing his elbow forward and smashing it into the Garchomp's torso, black energy exploding as he made contact. Pivoting on one foot, he unleashed a flurry of water-enhanced blows, striking the same spot repeatedly.

The Garchomp fell back with a roar, its arms up as it uselessly tried to block the attacks. The man crouched low and sprang upwards with a powerful Wicked Blow, sending the Garchomp careering through a building, causing it to collapse around it.

Gawain jumped down from the building, crouching down to check on the injured soldier.

"So, you've figured it out as well," she said, carefully checking the bleeding soldier. "The opponent's strategy."

Kai nodded, picking one of the soldiers up. "An effective one too. I couldn't have done much against such a large foe, so I went after the smaller forces."

Gawain nodded. "There's still too many soldiers in danger. I'll cauterize the wounds. Can you take the injured to safety?"

"Of course."

Satisfied with his response, she turned to the wounded soldier, who was barely conscious. "This will hurt a lot. However, it's necessary to save your life."

The man nodded weakly, almost ready to pass out. Flames surrounded her gauntlets as she carefully cauterized the wound. The man hissed in pain as she worked, passing out from it.

Using the man's medical kit, she dressed the wound and applied a tight bandage. Once she finished, she got the man to his feet and passed him to the remaining, lesser injured soldier.

"Get these two men to safety," she said, talking to the conscious soldier and Kai. "I'll search for the rest of the army units."

Kai nodded. "Before I go, your fire ability. Are you also a Chosen?"

"It's sorcery, pyromancy to be specific."

"I see. I've had encounters with sorcery before, none of them pleasant. It's good to know that they're people using it for good."

"Likewise, with your Chosen abilities."

With his question answered, Kai turned around and followed the other soldier, the two of them moving as fast as they could. Gawain wasted no time watching them leave, she had a mission to complete.

She had scarcely gone a few steps when the entire world began to shake, her vision going blurry as it filled with red.

Bracing herself, she rode out the tremors as she scanned around, trying to figure out what was happening. A crack sounded through the air as tears began forming in the sky, rifts to new worlds opening.

Gawain brandished Galatine, the weapon glowing a brilliant orange as she channeled her sorcery through it.

This was no ordinary attack. Gathering reinforcements from other bases would take too long, even with all the chaos that has happened. Time was not something Gawain had to spare, not with so many lives on the line. She'd fight alone if she had to. She was Gawain: Knight of the Sun.

Thank you for reaching the end of the chapter! With Winter Break rolling around, I'm getting to travel! Unfortunately, that means I will be taking a week's break, meaning you can expect another chapter in January. I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and see you next year!