The air around the narrow passageway was tense, suffused with the kind of silence that makes your skin crawl. It was the calm before the storm—a storm we all knew was coming. Isonorai stood at the center of our group of magic users, her slender frame cloaked in her usual confidence, though I could see the faint tightness in her shoulders. She knew as well as I did that this wasn’t just another training exercise.

  This was it. The line we had to hold. If we failed here, the village would fall.

  I glanced around at the others—a dozen magic users of varying skill levels, many of them young, barely more than kids. Their eyes flickered with uncertainty, some clutching their staves or grimoires like lifelines. I could feel their nervous energy radiating, threatening to spill over and crack the fragile focus holding us together.

  “We’ve got one chance to do this right,” Isonorai said, her voice cutting through the oppressive quiet. It was firm but laced with the faintest edge of frustration. “We need to build a barricade strong enough to hold back the demons. I’ll show you what I can, but I need all of you to focus. If we mess this up…” She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to.

  She extended her hands toward the ground, and I felt the hum of mana surge through the air. Slowly, deliberately, the earth began to rise, clumps of dirt and rock heaving upward under her control. Her fingers twitched slightly, her brow furrowing in concentration. The makeshift wall that formed was uneven and shaky, but it held. Barely.

  “Like this,” she said, stepping back and motioning to the others. “It doesn’t need to be perfect—just sturdy enough to slow them down. Use the roots of the trees if you can. They’ll add strength to the structure.”

  The magic users nodded hesitantly, their resolve still fragile. One by one, they stepped forward, hands outstretched. The ground responded sluggishly at first, as if resisting their efforts. Some barely managed to lift small mounds of dirt, while others started to form walls that crumbled almost as quickly as they rose.

  I stood at the edge of the group, watching. My Shadow Sword pulsed in my hand, thrumming with unused energy, but I knew it was useless here. My magic—shadow magic—was built for destruction, for combat. It couldn’t shape the earth or weave roots into a barrier. Frustration boiled in my chest, a bitter reminder of my limitations.

  “Sam,” Isonorai called, her tone sharp enough to cut through my spiraling thoughts. She was suddenly at my side, her violet eyes locked onto mine. “You can’t help with the barrier, but that doesn’t mean you’re useless. Watch the perimeter. If anything gets through while we’re working, we’re dead.”

  I nodded, forcing down my frustration. She was right, as always. I turned away from the struggling magic users and scanned the horizon. The open field beyond the passage was eerily quiet, the grass rippling gently in the wind. Too quiet.

  Behind me, the barrier was starting to take shape. Slowly, unevenly, but surely. Walls of earth rose higher, reinforced by the thick, knotted roots of nearby trees. The magic users were grunting with effort, beads of sweat rolling down their faces as they poured everything they had into their work.

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  “Higher!” Isonorai barked, pacing behind them. Her own exhaustion was starting to show, but she pushed through it, her voice unwavering. “We need it higher! They’ll climb over if we don’t make it tall enough!”

  One of the younger magic users, a boy who couldn’t have been older than sixteen, collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. His hands trembled as he tried to push himself back up, but he didn’t have the strength.

  “Get up!” Isonorai snapped, her voice like a whip. When he didn’t respond, she knelt beside him, her tone softening—just slightly. “I know you’re tired, but we’re almost there. Push through. You can rest when the village is safe.”

  The boy nodded weakly and dragged himself upright, his hands shaking as he resumed his work.

  I turned my attention back to the horizon—and froze.

  A shimmer rippled through the air, like heatwaves distorting the landscape. Then, one by one, they appeared. The demons. Their grotesque forms took shape in the distance, an endless tide of nightmares spilling across the field. Some were massive, hulking beasts with jagged claws and gaping maws. Others were smaller, quicker, their sinewy bodies built for speed and precision.

  “They’re coming!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the grunts and muttered incantations of the magic users. I tightened my grip on my Shadow Sword, the dark blade thrumming in response. My mana dipped to 200, but I ignored it. There wasn’t time to worry about conservation now.

  Isonorai turned, her eyes widening as she took in the approaching horde. “Damn it,” she hissed under her breath. “We’re not ready yet!”

  “There is no more time!” I snapped back, stepping forward to position myself between the barrier and the advancing demons. “We fight with what we’ve got!”

  She didn’t argue. Instead, she raised her hands, magic crackling to life around her as she prepared to fight. Behind her, the rest of the magic users abandoned the barrier, their focus shifting to combat spells.

  The first demon reached us, a towering brute with arms like tree trunks. It swung one massive claw toward me, and I met it with an upward slash of my Shadow Sword. The impact reverberated through my arms, but the blade held, slicing cleanly through its limb. My mana dipped to 192, but there was no time to dwell on the cost. Another demon was already upon me—a smaller, faster one. I sidestepped its lunge and brought my sword down in a sweeping arc, severing its head. Mana: 185.

  Isonorai was beside me now, her hands glowing with arcane energy. She sent a blast of pure magic into the horde, the force scattering several smaller demons like ragdolls. “We have to hold them here!” she shouted, her voice strained but resolute.

  The rest of the magic users joined in, their spells filling the air with flashes of light and bursts of elemental fury. Fire roared, ice shattered, and bolts of electricity arced through the horde. It wasn’t enough to stop them, but it slowed their advance.

  I could feel the pressure mounting, the relentless tide of enemies threatening to overwhelm us. My mana ticked down with every swing of my blade, every desperate parry and counterstrike. 180. 172. 165.

  “We can’t hold this forever!” Isonorai called, her voice cracking under the strain of her magic.

  “We don’t have to hold forever!” I shouted back, cutting through another demon. “Just long enough for the others to regroup!”

  The demons surged forward, their roars deafening, their claws gleaming in the dim light. The barrier loomed behind us, a fragile symbol of hope.

  I clenched my jaw and swung my Shadow Sword again. We had to hold. We had to.

  There was no other option.