INSIGNIAS: THE LUX SIGNIFER ACADEMY

What’s harder than fighting invincible creatures? It’s using a bow and arrow in close combat. The moonlight was barely illuminating the surroundings. Everyone created enough fighting space for each other. Nate could hear the clashing of swords, the whirling of the wind, the trembling of the ground, and the violent splashing of water. However, the enemies hadn’t approached him. He could feel their presence around him but they didn’t move as if waiting for something. Do they want me to start the fight?

It was dark and cold. He barely saw his friends’ silhouette under the peeking moonlight from behind the dense clouds. He was worried about Hanne. He began wondering about the invincible creatures. What are they? Where did they come from? What is their power? He was more curious than scared. The silence between them stretched. Nate knew that if they come close, his bow and arrows are useless. So he channelled his power on the metals underground. There was 10 motionless presence around him. There weren’t many metals underground. Probably because the place wasn’t commercialized. Come…

The ground rumbled a bit. A minute passed then in a blink of an eye, the metals grabbed the creatures, surrounding them, gripping them so they won’t get away. Still, they didn’t move or attack. Confused, he looked around. 10 metal rings were circling him. He was about to walk to one to check when he heard a twang and a hiss in the air. He was able to dodge the fatal aim but the arrow scrapped his shoulder. But he didn’t see the arrow. He looked up with a glare. There was only the black sky with countless stars. The moon was hiding. Just like the flying creatures.

“Ah!” Nate turned to the voice but it was difficult to see his friends. But the lights coming from their insignias and elementals were visible.

“I’m fine!” came Aria’s voice. “These creatures trapped me!”

Several invincible arrows were shot again, hissing through the cold air. Nate grabbed a wide thin metal and used it as a shield. The arrows penetrated the metal, barely hitting his head. He released a sigh of relief.

“That was close,” he muttered. He quickly stood up and ran toward the nearest row of trees. When his back hit the trunk of a tree, he heard the hissing of arrows pass him. Within a second, arrows passed the sides of the tree but he didn’t hear them hitting anything.

“What is this? Do they adapt their powers with my own?” he whispered. They were even able to trap and deceive their enemies.

The attacked stop. He silently listened to their movements. There was the quick rustling of the leaves. He dodged an arrow coming straight to his heart, which pierced the tree trunk instead. The surrounding suddenly felt colder and heavy. He figured that they could still see him in the darkness. He hid between the bushes. He turned to look at where the arrow hit the tree but he was surprised to find that there’s no damage on the trunk. Maybe I couldn’t see it because it’s dark…

He tried to count the presence around him. No luck. Their presence occupies everything. An idea hit him. If they are everywhere…

He grabbed an arrow in his quiver and aimed at the darkness. He swiftly released his hold. He heard it hit something.

“Oh shoot…” he muttered when he heard the hissing sound. He went out of his hiding spot and ran before the arrows hit him. He couldn’t hit the creatures. Where exactly are they? Tired and breathless, he stopped running aimlessly and hid behind another tree to catch his breath. He’s at a disadvantage. The creatures didn’t have any weakness. His arrows didn’t stand against them.

“It seems like they don’t have a physical body…” he subconsciously whispered. When he heard the rustling of the leaves and the scrapping of woods, he made himself smaller and hid in the bushes. He needed to find its weakness.

He worried about his friends. Maybe they found the creatures’ weakness. Suddenly, light crept near a tree’s branch. At first, he thought it was the moonlight. But it looked unstable and not spread out. Then the light slowly spread in different directions. The strokes zigzagged and curved like the lava flows and branches out to destroy everything in its path. Only when the streaks blaze that he realized it’s fire. The spectacle didn’t last long because the darkness covered it as if its hand reached out to smother the fire, which also caught some leaves on a branch. Nate was surprised to find that the creatures retreated away from him. There were still there but not near him.

He took this as an opportunity to go back on the shore. He hoped all his friends are there. It didn’t take him long to find the river. He could hear the clashing of swords and his friends shouting. The moon finally left the comfort behind the cloud to illuminate the struggling teen fighters. Clyne, who was hiding in a small cave he probably created, was nearest to him. Nate noticed a shadow running on the river water. He looked around to look for Hanne. He found her standing side by side with Skhy. A floating shadow seemed like Hunter.

“Where’s Aria?” he shouted.

“Here!” He turned around to see Aria running toward her. She wasn’t holding her sword. Panting, she stopped in front of him. Nate noticed cuts on her shoulder and arms. She wasn’t wearing her jacket. There were twigs on her long red hair.

“Took it off. It was bothering me,” Aria explained between breaths. Nate nodded. He heard his friends’ running footsteps behind him.

“I don’t think we’ll defeat them like this.” Skhy reached them. Hanne leaned on Nate when she got close. Both of them panting from exhaustion.

“We won’t,” Nate started, “but we can slow them down until we left their territory.” Skhy turned to him.

“Together,” Nate added. Skhy probably understood what he meant because he nodded and immediately took off.

“Everyone! Gather in one place!” he shouted several times as he ran around. Clyne was the first to reach where Nate, Hanne, and Aria are. Followed by Skhy and Tessa. Hunter was nowhere in sight.

“Face the river,” Nate instructed Aria. “Aim in front of you.” She nodded without any question asked.

“Here.” Nate looked up and found Hunter descending. He felt the presence gathering around them.

“Nate?” Clyne called behind him. They formed a large circle facing the invincible enemies.

“We’ll aim with fire in different directions!”

“You found their weakness!” Tessa said.

“Temporary weakness!” Nate replied. “It won’t last long so we have to row as far as possible!” Nate grabbed an arrow and placed it in his bow. He pointed it upward.

“We have to stop before the fire reaches the forest!” Lei pointed out.

“Alright!” Clyne exclaimed.

“Aria!” Nate called out. Suddenly, fire blazed on the tip of his arrow. The others also received theirs. He concentrated his power on the arrow. He felt his right arm getting warmer. He felt his insignia pulsing.

“Now!” Skhy instructed. Nate released the arrow. It hissed in the air. When it passed through the invisible enemy, Nate controlled the arrow’s speed and direction so it won’t hit the tree. Just like what he expected, the fire spread in the air. It ran until it looked like several fire blankets. Nate could feel the surrounding getting hotter. He turned and ran toward Aria. There was a huge hole in front of her.

“I wouldn’t be able to hold it long,” she said.

“Guys! Let’s go!” Everyone ran toward the exit then toward the boat. They pushed it toward the river and quickly get inside. Aria was the last one to enter the boat. They didn’t waste time and rowed like their lives depend on it. Which is true…

“This is fine,” Skhy said after minutes of constant rowing. Nate placed his oar on his and Clyne’s laps. He noticed his hands started trembling.

“Look,” he heard Hanne say. He looked behind him and found a thick blanket of dancing fire in the sky. It reached above the trees. It looked like it was trying to reach for the moon.

“It was a shadow creature,” Hunter suddenly said, “It wasn’t a physical being.”

“Fighting it won’t kill it, huh,” Aria commented. “Good job finding its weakness, Nate.”

“I saw a part of it caught fire. It spread then the creature retracted.”

“I should’ve thrown fire aimlessly.” Aria was shifting uncomfortably on her seat in front of Nate.

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah. It trapped you several times,” Clyne said, trying to comfort her.

“They knew that Aria possesses their weakness,” Tessa said. Nate noticed Lei still staring at the blanket of fire as it disappears from view.

“Don’t worry, Lei.” She appeared surprised when he said her name. “I think that shadow is the forest’s protector.”

“Really?” Under the moonlight, her eyes stared at him expectantly. Nate smiled.

“It made sure no weapons hit the trees. It covered the fire on the branch before it spread.”

“A guardian! Like nymphs!” Clyne exclaimed.

“Are there really things like that?” Hanne sarcastically asked.

“Maybe if we look hard enough, we’ll see them,” he replied excitedly. Nate imagined Hanne rolling her eyes after his reply.

He turned around to look for something inside his backpack. All their bags were safe on the back part of the boat. He found a thin sweater.

“Aria, use this.” He gave it to Aria. “It’s cold.”

“Ah! Wait! I have one too,” Clyne intercepted while rummaging inside his backpack.

“It’s fine, Clyne,” Aria said. “Thank you, Nate.” She wore it quickly. It was too big for her.

“But- but-”

“You can look for it later then give it to me.”

“Okay!” Nate chuckled. Aria already knew how to handle Clyne.

“It’s my turn,” Clyne said with a huge smile then grabbed the oar.

“Five hours ahead is our destination,” Skhy said after minutes of silence. There were no more clouds in the sky. The teens had a clear view of the vastness of the firmament. A thin spreading stroke of white painted the sky together with countless snowflakes. The air whispered and kissed Nate’s cheeks wistfully. It was cold but comfortable. The firmament was reflected in the calm wide river.

“Will we be able to see the sun, the moon, and stars in the Mort?” he whispered, only for him to hear.