4/12/2019

  1:50 PM

  Five mile radius of Downtown Colemond, TX

  Daniel was floating high up in the sky, viewing downtown and its ten-mile radius. He was counting the number of seconds needed to drop right to the site of chaos. Terrance, in an unknown form, has caused a wreck spanning three miles. And the rebels weren't backing down, taking all of the manpower's attention. Qiang Zhao was pulled away, leaving Daniel alone to deal with Terrance's berserk rampage.

  He flew backwards, putting another mile. Afterward, he glided down. The sound of air grew as he picked up the speed. This was the most extreme flight experience he ever had. His feet felt the pressure building up. Qi began blasting out of the sole of his boots. What followed was a loud bang. Daniel broke the sound barrier, entering Mach one.

  The lower the altitude, the more bits of smoke and heat flew to his face as he sped through. Heat swarmed his entire back as he was about to do a landing like a plane. His arms moved in the opposite direction, pulling him into position. Both of his feet hit the ground first, tearing up one of the main avenues. Daniel looked at the beyond twenty feet tall beast that was supposed to be Terrance. A temperament of a bull and a body of a humanoid bison, but the long, upright horns of a yak.

  From where he stood, there weren't any pedestrians nearby. He looked around him where the buildings were silent. It may sound relieving, but people could be hiding inside, not knowing they might perish. However, Daniel didn't let those thoughts get in the way of stopping Terrance. The beast's tail was out of control. It swung whatever it hit.

  Daniel summoned his AR-15. He prayed it wouldn't fail like the first time trying in his backyard. One pull of the trigger fired a berserker beam from the barrel’s muzzle. Because he was putting more qi into the weapon, the recoil was much stronger. If it weren't for his recent gain in muscle mass, he would've flown. The blast grew wider and longer as it distanced itself further from the muzzle. It struck at the beast's tail, effortlessly decapitating it from its body. He let his finger off the trigger.

  The beast turned to him. Unfortunately, the qi-capable AR-15 has a delay, where it takes seconds to faze out all the qi it contained. So, Daniel raised the rifle back up and struck the beast and the nearby rebels. All the latter were obliterated into dust. Tiny piles of dust were like anthills on the pavement.

  He unsummoned his rifle and his sword, Valence, reappeared in his grip. One high leap into the air, Daniel charged up his sword despite the blade leaking qi. When he tried to control it, his sword caused his hands to shake like handling chainsaws or jackhammers without proper gloves. He ignored the growing pain in his wrists, and with his eyes focused on Terrance, Daniel unleashed his blade's fury and desperation, wrecking at least five buildings around the area. A pillar-shaped effect emerged for a moment before plumes of smoke took over.

  More rebel magical wielders kept appearing. They charged towards him, prompting the latter to do countless combos of infliction. A mixture of swordsmanship and neck grips. Some crashed to the pavement like a meat splatter. Others that Daniel threw crumbled with the rubble of buildings. The rebels' audacity continued as the smoke plumes didn't fade. It only accumulated the damages and costs, much to Daniel's displeasure.

  He had lost count of how many he had beaten, only for Lian and Qiang Zhao to arrive. The two backed him, allowing leeway. He dashed right to the edge of a crater where the plumes of smoke were still strong. The fumes and heatwave swarmed, striking gusts up to his face. One swift stroke of his sword cleaned everything up. Plumes of smoke were sucked by his generated winds like a magnet. Everything was swirled up and faded away with one loud bang, echoing away.

  When it was clear, the fifty-foot-wide crater revealed the beast shrinking. Daniel watched as it returned to human size. He grimaced at the cracking noise as the upright horns fell off its forehead. The fur and muscularity faded.

  Daniel slid down the crater, walking up to the center. There, his eyes saw Terrance passed out. This was a revelation, and he couldn't let him off guard anymore. Lian teleported right next to the latter in bloody showers.

  "What was his life before?" She asked.

  "A store manager for a few years. He was going to be promoted."

  "Oh, how unfortunate."

  "Mhm, but now he's getting promoted by me. So, he will have to quit his current job."

  Lian lifted Terrance and put him on her shoulders. "A yak," she muttered, then looked right to the sky, where there were still some rebels fighting against the allied magical wielders. "Hilde will think of a name for this. Can you two clean all of them up?"

  "Yes," the two said.

  "There's still more, so good luck." Lian disappeared from the crater, leaving the two.

  Qiang Zhao took off her cowboy hat, wiping off the debris and blood. When she put it back on, she moved the flap of her jacket, revealing her belt with a loaded holster. She pulled out a revolver.

  "You have guns too?" Daniel asked.

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  "Zhao clan's specialty. Guns are our swords."

  "So a sword and a sword."

  "Whatever…Anyway, we have a mess to fix."

  3:37 PM

  Vaillant Residence, Colemond, TX

  The press was across every block in downtown and its ten-mile radius because it was such an extensive fight. Lady Bian was worried that Daniel was going to cause another mushroom cloud. To her relief, it didn't happen when dealing with the rebels and mindless Terrance.

  Daniel sat in the living room with fellow magic wielders who were doctors and Dr. Annia. He was getting bandaged around his right arm as they were teaching the latter their medical methods. The cut that Qiang Zhao inflicted became problematic during the cleanup. A few times, his right arm was dangling loose. It would heal back, and conflicts made the tissue loose again. The first time was painful, but the repetition built the tolerance.

  The number of times he saw his flesh and bones wasn't as disturbing as it looks. Strange enough, the blood circulation remained, breaking the logical rules. Before wrapping the bandage, the medical magic wielders demonstrated a spell that authorizes a faster healing rate. It was directed right to the edges. Afterward, he reconnected it, and Dr. Annia fired the green spell, giving a cold sensation.

  A little bit of blue blood came out of Daniel's right arm. He began wrapping the bandage around the site. After one layer, the doctors and Annia summoned a multitude of spells. Then another layer, and the cycle repeats. The kind of bandage was thin. Hence, the multiple layers. Once it was tightened, Daniel tore off the bandage wrap after five cycles, and Dr. Annia did the final touches.

  "Thanks," Daniel said. He tried moving his right hand and wrists. It felt a little off with the one-second delay, but it was manageable. "This will do…How's Terrance doing?"

  "He's still sleeping and refuses to be awake."

  "I don't blame him. That was his first uncontrolled qi experience," muttered Daniel, and he looked at Hilde. "Has this ever happened before?"

  Hilde partially nodded. "Well, not in my lifetime, but the books said yes it had." She walked over with an open journal in her hand. "And that was around a thousand years ago."

  “So…It's safe to say he was the first since…”

  Tess gave Daniel the map with colored marks and highlights. And she showed him a few photos she captured. The panoramic photo gave a full picture of the destruction. Many of the surrounding downtown districts were gone. Nothing was left except a multitude of wide pits. Bad news after another. The news had already reached the mainstream. Daniel’s city council members started to doubt him, according to the recent messages and emails. With no city officials by his side, he had a choice to make.

  The death toll estimates were still being counted. At a rate of ten deaths per minute. From what Daniel was thinking, it seemed the numbers wouldn't slow down or be put to a stop soon. There won't be enough local workforce by the time the numbers become official, and the idea of outsourcing applicants and candidates outside of the city might be on the table.

  Daniel turned to Empress Cai, who was rehearsing some knowledge from the book.

  "How soon can you bring refugees if you change plans, like bringing them earlier than scheduled?"

  The page in Empress Cai's book stopped flashing green light, and she looked away, lifting her head to his attention. "It can happen. Why? Do you want to send them to the city after all that disaster?"

  "…Yes. I do. Without a doubt. I can't hire or invite people outside of this city. There's no chance at this time…And there will be pointless deaths if I do." Daniel looked at the big monitor where the estimates were raised to a total of twelve thousand deaths. The highest range could be around fifty. "They'll want a new life. Why not give it to them now? We teach them the stuff about Earth and go from there."

  "What about the council members who are part of the committee that you formed from the lecture hall?" Lady Bian asked, joining the conversation.

  Daniel sighed. "I don't know. They were helpful initially, but their doubts are making me think of pushing them away."

  Empress Cai untied her hair. "By forcing them out? No…They might backstab you if you insist."

  "There's always the other option. Beyond just forcing them out of their position."

  Lady Bian and Empress Cai gave each other the look. Daniel noticed them quickly, acknowledging what he meant. Empress Cai told him to hold on to that thought and not move forward with it yet. Daniel would have to remind her tomorrow. He hadn't told the two about what he was thinking about the police and fire chief. He intended to keep that to himself.

  Until all the numbers were out, Daniel wanted to pass some time with a quick meditation and rest, so he headed to the backyard. There was a new tree planted at the far end of his lawn. It was the only spot with a hill. He climbed up the elevation and sat right next to the trunk of the tree.

  When he composed himself, the temperature cooled. He felt the tree was supplementing the comfort. The winds and a wide shade were a great feature.

  Daniel closed his eyes, taking a few deep and synchronous breaths. His mind relaxed like getting soaked in cold water during a shower.

  It was silent and concentrated for some time. Until he heard a voice.

  He ignored the dimmed voice, thinking it would go away.

  But it didn't, and got louder and clearer. When he could hear vividly, Daniel opened his eyes, finding himself in a pitch-black void. The darkness surrounded him, but he could see his body as if a light shone over him. Turning around, there was nothing.

  Daniel couldn't stand up and was stuck sitting criss-cross.

  "Don't try to move them, it will hurt us both," A echoed voice said among the void.

  White leaves and glossy petals rained down alongside him, forming like a visible platform. Afterward, he felt a lock binding him unchained as he moved his legs.

  "Behind you."

  His ears heard the voice again, prompting him to turn around. A new landscape out of leaves and pedals revealed to him. It was a long slope. Being a hill, it was a hike's worth to reach the summit. He felt an urge to climb up. He didn't know why that feeling came, but he just wanted to go up.

  Daniel tried flying, only to plummet down to the flowery floor by a strong force. He slowly got back up and wiped the blood dripping from his nose. One deep breath before taking one step forward. The path leading up to the hill begins, not knowing what was up there waiting for him.