Alpha Instinct

"Kaleb! Quick, get the small vial on my belt!" Mikaela shouted, her voice strained. She could barely move her arms.

Kaleb rushed to her, grabbing the tiny vial, uncapping it, and holding it to her lips. "Here, drink it all," he said, pouting slightly.

"Stop it, Kaleb, this is no time for jokes," Mikaela said after gulping down the miniature potion.

"Sorry..." he mumbled, gently placing Evelyn, cradled in his lap.

Mikaela sat in a lotus position, closed her eyes, and focused, activating her ELEV. She channeled Holy Healing into herself. Minutes later, she opened her eyes, healed.

"How did you heal yourself so fast?" Kaleb asked, curious. He'd seen Mikaela heal before, and it always took much longer.

"I used the Goddess' Tear..." she hesitated. "Well, it's not exactly a tear, just water energized with sanctified mana by me," she explained.

"And why didn't you give that stuff to them when they needed it?" Kaleb asked, the question obvious.

"Because it only works on me, duh… Do you think I'm selfish? The energized mana reacts with my aura, and when I focus the healing on myself, it enhances it."

Mikaela turned her attention to Evelyn. She knelt beside her, gently examining the unconscious girl. The remnants of the Black Shadow Kamui clung to her like wisps of smoke, slowly dissipating. Mikaela placed her hands on Evelyn's chest, channeling Holy Healing once more. The light enveloped Evelyn, but the girl's breathing remained shallow, her pulse weak. A cold dread washed over Mikaela. She's fading... I need to do more...

While Mikaela tended to Evelyn, Kaleb kept watch, his usual levity gone, replaced by a grim alertness.

Some time later, Xavier arrived, his head hung low. "I'm sorry... I... I messed up... that energy... it was too much for me..." He looked up, his eyes wide with remembered terror, his hands nervously fidgeting with his crossbow.

Kaleb turned to him and said, "Don't throw a temper tantrum, man. Everything is okay."

Mikaela finally finished stabilizing Evelyn. Kaleb took over, lifting Evelyn onto his back with surprising gentleness. "It's on me," he declared.

"As if you were the savior of the day," Mikaela retorted, but her voice lacked its usual bite. She turned to Xavier. "Stay alert, Xavier."

The group returned to the rocky slope and re-entered the small cave they had used before. Kaleb carefully laid Evelyn down next to Leonard, who was still unconscious. "Look at the couple, how cute. They even match when they're knocked out," Kaleb quipped, trying for his usual humor.

"Shut up, Kaleb..." Mikaela snapped, her patience worn thin.

Xavier then asked, "Silverin, can't you wake them up? We can't stay here long."

Silverin looked at Xavier, a flicker of hope in her weary eyes. "I can try," she said. "I will pray to the Goddess... ask for a dispel. A deep sleep like this..." She trailed off, then knelt, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes, her lips moving in silent prayer. Then, raising her voice, she intoned:

"Oh, Radiant One, Mother of Light, pierce the shadows that bind these souls. Grant them strength, grant them clarity, grant them awakening. From slumber deep, I call them forth, back to the light of day!"

A gentle aura, like a soft breeze, settled over them. Even Mikaela's racing thoughts slowed, a welcome respite. It was a balm for the mind, a temporary reprieve from the turmoil.

Leonard and Evelyn began to stir, groaning softly on the ground.

"Hey, hey, wake up already. You think it's a holiday morning to be lazing around?" Kaleb quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with him, for once. Come on, guys, up you get. We need to go..." Mikaela added, her voice gentler but still firm.

Evelyn sat up abruptly, startled by Kaleb's and Mikaela's voices. "Where's that bastard Raviel?" She was panting with rage, remembering what had happened.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there," Kaleb said, taking a step back. He sighed. "Go on, tell us what happened."

Evelyn groaned, clutching her head, her mind throbbing. "Raviel betrayed us," she said hesitantly, avoiding Silverin's gaze.

But when she finally looked at Silverin, the older woman merely sighed. "I suspected as much. I just didn't want to believe it..."

Xavier, outraged, turned to Silverin. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice sharper than intended.

Silverin took her waterskin and handed it to Evelyn. "Drink a little... you need to recover your strength..." Then, calmly, she turned back to Xavier and said, "Who was the first one in our group to always be at the front, protecting us, Xavier?"

"Raviel! Of course! That's why I can't accept this injustice!" Xavier exclaimed, his voice rising.

"Injustice, my ass! I almost died!" Evelyn spat, glaring at him from the side.

"Calm down, both of you," Silverin requested, her voice weary. "Xavier..." A long pause, then she continued, "...Precisely because Raviel was always at the front, in the last few days, when we fought and risked our lives, how many times did he actually help us?"

"That doesn't prove anything!" Xavier retorted. "I refuse to believe it!"

"I have proof..." Evelyn said, cold and calculating. "I saw him arriving while Leonard was still fighting the Ursulos Rex. He didn't even join the group."

"But he—" Xavier started to say, but Silverin cut him off.

"I saw him too... he really was spying..." she admitted, her voice heavy with sadness.

"I have more proof. Smell the Ursulos Rex's fur. You'll see that he was attacked with a white phosphorus bomb." She paused. "That bomb has no effect on a creature like him, and it was clearly used for luring."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Xavier asked, still struggling to accept the truth.

Mikaela lowered her head, a thoughtful look on her face as the pieces began to click together. "I've seen Evelyn use those white phosphorus bombs. They're hers." She sighed deeply and concluded, "Minutes before the Rex appeared, we heard an explosion, remember?"

"Exactly, and I checked my things. A bomb was stolen," Evelyn added, her voice hard.

Xavier sank to the ground, defeated. "...It can't be..."

Evelyn said, "I suspect he's a spy for the King. From what I understand, he was just spying on the Church of Light through Silverin and stumbled upon Leonard by chance, but there were orders to hunt him down."

"It was the perfect moment..." Kaleb said, shaking his head. "He could have killed Leonard, or even just watched him die, and then claimed the reward from the king."

Leonard, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly sat up, stretching and cracking his neck. "Another bounty on my head? I'm getting famous." He yawned and did a few quick stretches.

"Are you alright, Leo?" Evelyn asked, concern etched on her face.

"I'm great! Just don't remember anything after taking a nice big hit and slamming into a tree," Leonard replied, with a shrug.

Kaleb snorted. "You looked like a damn demon, wanting to take everyone's body. Lucky we're still alive." He paused, then added more seriously, "Thank Mikaela and Evelyn for bringing you back."

Then, a faint memory flickered in Leonard's mind, a voice calling him. "Kori..." The call echoed in his thoughts.

"Leo? Leo?" Mikaela called, snapping her fingers in front of his face. It was the third time she'd called him. Leonard, completely distracted, seemed lost in thought.

"Ahhh, sorry. So... shall we? This place is dangerous; we can't stay here and risk another Wyvern showing up," Leonard said, shaking off the distraction.

"Let's go back to the clearing where we started, set up camp, and then get the hell out of these volcanoes," Mikaela said, her voice firm.

The return journey was uneventful, a somber procession. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, but with a heightened awareness of each other. Xavier, still visibly shaken by the day's events, walked with his head down, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a grim silence.

Mikaela kept a close eye on both Leonard and Evelyn, her hand never far from her sword hilt. Kaleb, for once, refrained from making jokes, sensing the weight of the situation.

They finally reached the edge of the Skull Volcanoes. Mikaela looked back, a shudder running through her. "I hope that's the last time I ever have to go back there..."

Leonard grinned. "If it's up to me, we'll be back all the time," he said, followed by a boisterous laugh.

Evelyn muttered, between gritted teeth, "I'll kill you if you try..."

"Mikaela, I'm glad to have met you and fought by your side. It was always my dream to fight alongside the Sword Saint," Silverin said, her voice filled with genuine emotion.

"I'm also glad to have wielded my sword alongside you, Silverin. May the Goddess of Light be with you," Mikaela replied, bowing her head slightly.

"May the Goddess of Light be with you," Silverin repeated.

Leonard called out, "Hey, Silverin!" When she turned, he tossed her a small, silver pendant of the Goddess of Light. "It was Ragnar's... Return it to his mother, along with the cure. She needs something to remember him by."

Tears welled up in Silverin's eyes, but a tired, grateful smile graced her now-wrinkled face. "Thank you, Leonard..."

They waved goodbye, their hands raised in farewell.

"That was a nice thing you did, Leo," Mikaela said, softly.

"I agree," Evelyn added, a hint of warmth in her voice.

"Sometimes I'm a nice guy..." Leonard said, with a wink.

Kaleb scoffed. "That's my line! Are you imitating me?"

Everyone laughed, the tension finally breaking.

"Time to head back to Armeria," Leonard announced, a newfound determination in his voice.