🚶 ARC11: Toward the Origin

A brief stillness fell over the battlefield.

It was not rest. Only a narrow gap before the next collision arrived. No one sat down. They checked remaining magic, adjusted weapons, prepared healing in silence. It was not time to recover breath, but time to keep their bodies from stopping.

Within that moment, one thought refused to fade.

—The loss feels wrong.

Each time power was used, something was taken for certain. Not simple exhaustion. There were parts that did not return, no matter how much healing was layered on. By changing how they fought, it could no longer be ignored.

Magic is not a convenient tool.
It is something far deeper.

“...Magic itself is demanding a price.”

The words slipped out, and several people stopped what they were doing and looked up.

“The more we use it, the more we lose.”
“But that’s not a matter of tactics.”
“...It’s the nature of magic.”

Someone frowned.

“Then what are we supposed to do?”
“If we don’t use it, we won’t survive here.”

That was true. There was no option now to discard magic. And precisely because of that, they could not go on using it without question.

“I want to investigate the origin.”

With that single sentence, the space fell quiet.

Where magic comes from.
What it is sustained by as a price.
If they kept fighting without knowing—.

No one needed the rest said aloud.
If this continued, all of them would eventually be worn away.

“...You’re going?”

There was no hesitation in the answer.

“I am. Staying here won’t give us answers.”

Voices followed at once.

“I’ll go too.”
“It’s dangerous alone.”
“Then we should send guards—”

A shake of the head.

“Not everyone can go. This place has to be held.”

The words became a clear order.

“This is the next defensive line.”
“If I don’t return, this becomes the last.”

The air stirred. Volunteers stepped forward, some clenched their fists in silence, others lowered their gaze. Taking them all in, the voice continued.

“Those who remain, defend this place.”
“Not ‘don’t run.’”
“Survive.”

It was not coercion. It was trust.

“Hold this position to pass things forward.”
“That’s the highest priority now.”

No one objected.
They understood. Staying behind was just as dangerous.

That was why the order carried weight.

“...Come back.”

Someone said it low.

“I will.”
“With answers.”

A short nod.

Preparation was already complete. Only what was needed was taken; the rest was discarded. No looking back. Looking back would only invite hesitation.

From here on was a path that had to be known.

The nature of magic.
What this world demands in exchange to keep turning.

Without grasping that answer, this war would never end.

Behind, the sounds of comrades taking their positions echoed. Ahead lay an origin still unseen.

Every reason to stop had been cleanly erased.

I step forward.

To find out what this world’s “power” requires to exist.

— Lumi🪄💕