🔓 ARC9: Operation in Motion

The signal wasn’t a shout, or a command. Eyes met. Someone gave the smallest nod. That was enough. Everyone moved.

The moment we stepped out, the air changed. The density of magic jumped all at once, heat rising like friction against the skin. The decoy moved first—deliberately releasing a larger surge of power to draw attention. A pale, bluish light crawled along the ground, spreading as if it were bursting open.

—They came.

The reaction was exactly as expected. That heavy presence turned toward us in unison.

“Now.”

No voice, not really. The light was the signal. Another spell layered in from the flank—an arc of flash, close to red, slicing through the enemy’s path. The impact kicked rubble up; dust rose in a sudden veil.

The decoy fell back. Right behind them, healing light lifted. The instant it touched the faint green circle, the pain that had felt like burning began to loosen, slowly pulling away. It didn’t return everything. But I could move. That was enough.

“Keep it going.”

Next placement. Next pull. The plan was alive. The lines we’d drawn in our heads overlapped with reality, almost cleanly, as if the world had accepted them.

—We can do this.

Then, in that moment, something caught.

The enemy’s movement was fast. Too fast. Before it even traced the line we’d laid, it stepped in—one step deeper—like it had read what we meant to do.

“...Bad.”

The decoy was pushed farther in than planned. Defense didn’t make it in time. Impact. A dull sound rang out, and a body snapped away.

“Fall back!”

With the shout, healing flew. A light close to white wrapped around them, stitching shut a tearing sensation by force. It wasn’t a full recovery. It was only holding things together. Even so—

They didn’t go down.

The guards stepped forward. To pull the decoy back, they poured magic out without hesitation. Light crossed, burst, and the world flared bright enough to blur. The body was heavy. Breathing was shallow. The loss was obvious—clear, undeniable. Still, we didn’t stop.

If we pull out here, everything collapses. All the reading we built. The placements. The resolve.

“Not yet.” “We can still pull it back—still.”

Voices that were meant for myself, and voices that were meant for the others, mixed together until they were hard to separate.

A strike tore the ground open. The shock traveled up through the feet. Knees trembled, almost laughing on their own. But the healing light made it in time. A breath later, and someone would have fallen.

The plan wasn’t perfect anymore. The clean line was already beginning to break. Still, it wasn’t over. No one ran. No one left the decoy behind.

Was this move the right one?

Right now, I didn’t know.

The only thing I knew was that we were already in a place we couldn’t step back from.

The battlefield didn’t allow even a moment to steady our breath. It moved, without pause, into the next phase. The light still hadn’t gone out.

— Lumi🪄💕