Chương 2: Chapter 1 - A Spark in the Void 2/2

The text faded, leaving only the sizzling of Karina's fingertips. They didn't hurt. Dashun dropped to his knees beside her.

"A divine class," he said under his breath. She flexed her hand. Her fingertips were blackened and cracked, soft curls of smoke rising between them.

"Hero." Dashun looked from her hand to her face.

"You are new to our world. You could not have understood what you were giving up." The words were directed at Karina, but he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. In that brief moment of clarity, she'd known exactly what she was doing. Still, she understood what she was supposed to say. She didn't.

"Your summoning was abnormally quick. We were unprepared." He looked around the room, and the whispering stopped.

"We will consult the archives before drawing any conclusions." He was already giving the room an explanation she hadn't agreed to. Then he turned his attention to her hand.

"You're hurt."

"It doesn't hurt." He took her wrist and examined the burns. She could still feel his fingers against her skin.

"Perhaps it's part of the class," she said. Yes. Of course it was. Dashun beckoned the healer closer, then helped Karina to her feet.

"It is best that you don't speak of your selection," he whispered.

"Some would consider rejecting a Divine Class a betrayal of the war effort."

"And if I'd chosen what they wanted?" His hand settled against her back, guiding her away from the circle. Now that she was standing, she could see that the cathedral had been arranged for a celebration. Banners hung from the sconces. Each guard carried another, still furled beneath their spearhead. But there were no pews. No benches or kneeling cushions. No place for a congregation. Karina looked back at the summoning circle, at the stone worn smooth by other knees.

The door at the far end of the hall buckled as something slammed against it. Dashun moved to shield Karina while the guards around the room leapt into action. They lowered their spears, the bundled ceremonial banners hanging awkwardly beneath their spearheads.

"Just a moment, Hero. You must still be disoriented. We will keep you safe." Safe. She looked past Dashun at the spears being lowered toward the door. Whatever was outside, they were expecting it to get in. A moment ago, she'd been a hero with a great destiny. Now she was someone to keep behind the spears. Karina took a cautious step away from the door. Whatever purpose these people had assigned her, she had no desire to meet it by being crushed. The door buckled inward again with an echoing bang.

Wood splintered from it, scattering across the polished floor.

"What's happening?"

"Don't worry. Another hero will be here soon."

"Another…" The door buckled again. Whatever was on the other side was nothing if not insistent. Another hero. Karina glanced back at the marble worn smooth inside the summoning circle. How many of them had the gods sent here? This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Alyssia ran up to them. A pale glow faded from her eyes as she approached, and her thick bangs fell back across them.

"I received a message from Cascad. He was pursuing a demon when the summoning began. He is returning, but—""Curses," Dashun said. He flicked his gaze back to Karina but didn't say anything to her.

"The demons must have anticipated the summoning. I will take command of the guard."

"Yes, sir."

"You stay with the Hero. Get her away from the circle and protect her—" Karina looked down at her burned fingers. She had chosen this fire. Surely she could do more with it than stand behind someone else.

"Can I help?"

"You do not know what your class can do, nor whether you're ready to use it," Dashun said.

"You clearly have the heart of a Hero, but we will—" The door exploded inward. Spear-like splinters tore across the cathedral while heavy sections of wood crashed onto the marble. Three guards disappeared beneath the debris, and several others were thrown from their feet. Shadow poured into the room first. It reached across the floor in grasping tendrils, only to smoke and retreat beneath the sunlight spilling through the cathedral windows. Then the creature stepped through.

A towering, vulture-like humanoid filled the doorway, a massive maul hanging from one hand. Coarse grey feathers lay matted against its skin. Its hooked beak was cracked, ash-grey at the base and black at the point. The creature's eyes glowed a deep violet. Karina knew the colour. She just didn't know from where. Two enormous wings spread from its back as it stomped into the room. Shadow poured from them like heavy smoke, coiling around its feet and swallowing the floor in darkness.

Its eyes met Karina's, and it screeched.

"Protect the hero!" one of the guards called. He charged with his ceremonial spear braced beneath one arm, the rolled banner dragging at the weapon. He drove it toward the creature anyway. The thing—the demon? —didn't bother looking at him. Instead, it swung the maul with impossible speed, cutting across his path. The crunch was sickening. The splatter against the far wall was worse. Thick blood stained the pure white of the cathedral. Dashun shoved Karina backward and held his hands out before him.

Light began to coalesce in his palms, whispers of sunlight tying themselves together into a ball. The spell formed slowly, each strand of light shuddering whenever the creature's shadow passed over him.

"It's a Karash! Alyssia, get the Hero out of here!" Alyssia seized Karina's shoulder and tried to turn her away, but Karina couldn't look away from the creature. The guards kept their distance now, pointing their spearheads toward the Karash, but it showed no fear of their weapons. It continued forward, forcing them back with every step. Dashun's hands were shaking, and he couldn't hide them in his sleeves while casting the spell. Then Karina saw ash drifting through the air where there was none.

She heard the crackle of an inferno that had burned out long ago. Smoke coated her tongue with the bitter taste of wildfire. Dashun had shielded her before he'd known what class she would choose. Now his spell was barely forming, and the Karash was still advancing. She looked at her burned fingers. The fire had answered when she chose it. She needed it to answer again. Alyssia yelped as Karina shoved her aside, breaking free of her grip and rushing to Dashun's side. The elderly man looked at her.

"This is no time to—" The phantom crackle swallowed the rest of his words. Karina held out her hand, pointing her burned fingers toward the Karash. For a moment, its grey feathers caught orange along their edges. [Spell—NO SPELLS LEARNED] No spells. But she could still feel the inferno. Karina reached for it again, trying to grasp the shape hidden inside the heat. [Spell—NO SPELLS LEARNED] [ERROR] The Karash swung the maul. It fell short of the nearest guard but shattered the floor beneath him.

As he stumbled, the creature lunged forward and caught the screaming man in its horrid beak. It tossed him aside before turning back toward Karina, leaving him crumpled and bleeding beside the broken doorway. [Spell—RESTOR—ERROR] The text fizzled away, but fire coiled around Karina's fingertips. It spiralled inward, compressing until only a single searing point of light remained before her hand. The air began to whistle, then sizzle. The acrid smell of Karina's burning hair filled the air.

In the second before the flash, the Karash looked at Karina with something close to recognition. A thread of white-hot light lanced from her fingertips and struck the Karash in the chest. Then the fire bloomed. An inferno erupted from the point of impact and crashed into the creature with the force of a breaking wave. The Karash was hurled backward as ribbons of flame wrapped around its arms, wings, and legs, dragging it deeper into the blaze. The Karash screeched and dropped the maul as it flailed.

Karina gripped one wrist with her other hand, struggling to keep the beam steady. Sweat beaded across her brow. She felt her skin sizzle but not the pain that should have come with a burn. Her vision stuttered, and for one beautiful moment, she could see only the warm orange and gold of the flames. The fire drove the Karash into the floor and folded over it again, each surge feeding the next until the shattered doorway became a portal filled entirely with flame.

[KARASH VANQUISHED] [EXPERIENCE TITHE PAID] [REMAINING EXPERIENCE ADDED] Karina fell forward as her body gave in. Her arm dropped with her, and the beam followed. It carved across the cathedral wall, melting stone along its path and sending glowing droplets raining onto the floor. Someone screamed. Karina didn't know who. The last thing she heard was Dashun.

"By every god, what are you?"