Warm
I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't do anything but sit there, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of me.
Up ahead, past the windshield, were several monsters running on all fours, heading straight for the truck.
Their bodies were twisted and deformed, bulky and bloated in weird places but thin and lanky in others. Their skin was a sickly, ashen gray color. A pair of horns protruded from their faces, curving and twisting.
And their eyes... Their eyes were the worst part. They glowed a deep crimson, the same as the sky above us, with black dots like the abyss itself at the center.
As I watched them approach, I felt a sudden rush of memories flood through my mind. The past flashed before my eyes.
This was almost exactly the same situation I'd been in when Sister Caria had saved me all those years ago. The yargoth, the terror, the feeling of being completely and utterly helpless in the face of such overwhelming darkness. The only thing I couldn't remember was what the yargoth looked like, but now, seeing them like this, it was all coming back to me.
I could feel my heart wanting to break out of my chest, but a voice quickly pulled me out of my haze.
"Grace, snap out of it! Get out of the truck!" Kumiko yelled.
I blinked, trying to anchor myself back to the moment using her words.
Hesitantly, I fumbled with the door handle. I nearly fell to my knees once I was out, my legs threatening to give out.
Kumiko took a few steps forward before half-turning. She looked down at me, her eyes hard and focused.
"Stay behind us. All I want out of you is what you promised, alright? Anyone gets into trouble, you go and help. Understand?"
I nodded, my voice stuck in my throat. I tried to take a step forward, towards the coming battle, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. I barely managed to shuffle a few feet before I had to stop and keep composing myself.
Ahead of me, the other paladins were readying themselves for the fight.
Kumiko held her sword high, the blade gleaming in the eerie red light. Liam hefted his massive hammer, a grim smile on his face.
"Betcha I can take down more than you can," Liam told Nora.
Nora, her bow drawn and arrow nocked, responded by promptly shooting down two yargoth. Both arrows flew through the air and landed at the monsters' heads, causing them to collapse in front of their demonic allies. The other monsters just trampled them without a care.
The yargoth were getting closer now, their howls and screeches filling the air with a chaotic, deafening symphony of noise.
I could see the hunger in their eyes. It was soul-crushing, seeing such blatant bloodlust and murderous intent aimed at me and the others.
And then, they were upon us.
I watched, my eyes wide and my heart in my throat, as the paladins met the yargoth head-on.
They were all so fast. Kumiko was a blur of motion, her sword flashing as she hacked and slashed at the monsters. Liam's hammer crushed skulls and shattered bones with each mighty swing, while Nora's arrows found their marks with incredible accuracy, piercing eyes and throats and hearts.
I'd never even seen a fight up close. Blood and flesh were flying up into the air with each swing of their weapons and every arrow Nora shot.
The paladins fought fiercely, but the yargoth were relentless. It almost felt like for every three yargoth the paladins killed, three more took their place.
I stood there, frozen in place, my mind reeling with the sheer horror of it all.
I wondered if I could do something, anything, to help. But I couldn't seem to make my body move.
One thing jumped out of me.
Didn't the heroes in the books use holy powers and incantations to fight the yargoth? Why aren't the paladins using anything like that?
I didn't see a single example of divinity on display.
It was confusing.
And then, I heard a cry of pain, a sound that cut through the din of battle like a knife.
It was Nora. One yargoth had managed to reach her and raked its claws down her back, her bow falling from her hands.
She fell to her knees, her face contorted in agony. Liam and Kumiko both noticed what was happening. Liam acted first, rushing over and pushing the yargoth that attacked away.
But, Nora didn't get back up. I could see that devilish, black-red aura sizzling, bloody steam rising from her wound. She was badly hurt.
I finally moved.
I ran forward, my legs moving of their own accord, propelled by the sight of Nora's wounded form crumpled on the ground.
For a moment, I couldn't think about the yargoth, about the danger that surrounded me on all sides. All I could see was a person in need. Something I was used to seeing.
I reached Nora's side, dropping to my knees beside her. I could feel the yargoth's collective heat. It felt like I'd jumped into a frying pan. But I barely noticed, my attention focused solely on Nora.
Her eyes met mine, wide and pain-filled, and I could see the fear and desperation in their depths. I reached into my pocket, pulling out the rosary I usually carried. I didn't need it, but I wanted to feel the beads in my hands, almost like a manifestation of my ability.
"It's okay," I told her, my voice surprisingly steady despite, you know, everything going on around us. "You're going to be okay."
I held the rosary beads close to Nora's wound.
As I murmured the ancient words, I felt a warmth begin to build. I watched in amazement as Nora's wounds began to close, the torn flesh knitting itself back together before my very eyes.
Desperation clawed at my throat.
"Come on, faster, faster," I muttered. Every second the wounds spent repairing themselves felt like an eternity.
"Yalia, please," I whispered, my voice cracking. "We need your help. Guide us, protect us, give us the strength to make it through this."
As I spoke those words, a roar forced me to look away.
I tore my gaze away from Nora, my heart leaping into my throat at the sight that greeted me.
Oh.
A massive yargoth was standing right above me, with Kumiko and Liam both too preoccupied to keep it away.
It slammed one of its limbs down on my head.
The world went black.
...
My eyes reopened.
I was standing back in that familiar sea, with the sun in the distance.
Only, this time, it wasn't a sun.
It was a woman.
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