The Infinite Story Volume 1

11. Outside the city.

"What do you mean we can't go in?" Ema's expression turned to one of frustration as she glared at the guard.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but rules are rules. We can't allow outsiders to enter without proper identification," the guard replied sincerely.

"Why do you need identification in the first place?" Albi questioned, eyeing the imposing wall.

"Well, there have been cases where various individuals attempted to enter and caused significant disturbances within the city," the guard explained.

"They want to reach the core. The closer you are to the center, the more resources you have. Our city is the only gateway there, and we have to abide by the rules," another guard explained.

"Yeah, anyway," Albi muttered, crouching near the wall.

"Thank you for your understanding. We hope we haven't caused any trouble," Ema added.

"Not at all," the guards reassured them.

"Goodbye!" Ema called out, waving at the guards as they walked away.

Seeing Albi still lingering near the wall, she went over grabbed him from behind, and threw him away. "Come on, let's go," she insisted, urging him to move along.

As they began walking towards the forest, Ema suddenly halted. "I want to get in!"

"We could fly over," Albi suggested.

"Without being seen genius!" Ema shouted.

"Then I don't know," Albi shrugged and began to walk away.

"Hmm," Ema pondered, her gaze shifting towards the forest. "There are people in the forest."

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"Why do we need this much wood, father?" asked Oliver, a short boy wearing a hat with a book strapped to his waist, undoubtedly a powerful artifact.

"For when it gets cold, Oliver," replied his father, giving him a reassuring head pat.

"But why can't we live in the castle like the other knights in the Hartia order?"

"It's not yet time. We'll have to manage," the father explained.

"I guess so," Oliver sighed, accepting his father's reasoning.

Information known to the public:
The capital of Hartia was divided into ten parts, each overseen by a prime knight of the Hartia Order. Oliver's father, Roland, was an ex-knight who had once bravely fought to protect the capital from the beasts that emerged from The Prestige. However, after sustaining a life-threatening injury and loosing a leg, he was forced to retire, passing his role to his older son, Marcus. But Marcus had reportedly gone missing, leaving the position of prime knight to his younger brother, Oliver.

The Capital had lost all respect for the Hartley family and all its members, even though they were one of the strongest pillars of society. Because of their losses and the made up scandals that followed, their respect was no more.

Suddenly, Roland's keen ears caught a disturbance in the forest. Reacting swiftly, he hurled his axe toward the source of the noise, bellowing a warning to his son, "Oliver, run!"

A monstrous beast emerged from the foliage, charging straight for Roland with hunger in its eyes. Roland seized a hefty axe nearby, prepared for such dire encounters, and deftly sliced through the beast's tongue as it lunged toward him. Despite his efforts, the creature relentlessly pushed forward, its massive jaws closing in around Roland, who strained to keep them at bay with his trusty axe, his very life hanging in the balance.

Oliver's cry for help pierced the chaos. "I can HELP!" he yelled, clutching his book tightly.

"You don't have experience! Just run!" Roland's voice was urgent, tinged with fear.

The beast's relentless assault shattered the axe, tearing Roland's legs away in a horrifying moment of brutality.

Stunned and helpless, Oliver watched in shock. But fueled by a surge of emotion, he tapped into the latent power of his book. With a flash of light, a wolf emerged, whisking Roland to safety. Anger burned in Oliver's eyes.

"I'll kill you," he growled, his voice trembling with rage. "I'll END YOU!"

Oliver charged toward the beast. But just as he approached, a sudden blow struck him in the stomach, doubling him over in pain. Before he could react, a powerful hand gripped the back of his neck, halting his advance.

"Shut up and don't move," Albi commanded, firmly grasping Oliver as they leaped onto one of the tree branches. "Don't worry, we've got this."

"Let me GO!" Oliver protested, striking Albi's back in frustration. "That beast HURT MY FATHER! I need to kill it! I can't lose someone ELSE!"

"You rest here, she's got this," Albi reassured him.

"WHO?!" Oliver demanded, his eyes flashing with anger and determination.

Ema swiftly rushed toward the beast, leaping from tree to tree. Upon reaching the beast she grabbed it by the neck and immediately engaged in a wrestling match. She maneuvered the beast, swiftly forcing it to the ground. 

Ema leaped away as the beast regained its footing. Without hesitation, she launched herself toward the beast's foot, grabbing hold tightly. With swift precision, she summoned a diamond behind the beast and used it to pull herself toward it. Taking advantage of her grip on the beast's leg, she made the beast fall down to the ground.

With the diamond wrapped around her leg, Ema used it as a makeshift catapult, propelling herself skyward with remarkable force.

With practiced agility, Ema swung from one tree branch to another, leaving a trail of diamond shards embedded in each trunk. Her movements were fluid and precise as she navigated the forest canopy. Finally, she landed gracefully on the ground in front of the beast's head.

In one swift motion, Ema activated her ability, causing every shard to extend and pierce the beast's body multiple times, creating a flurry of sharp, diamond-tipped strikes.

Then with a final act she put her hand on the ground activating her ability, she summoned a diamond spike, driving it straight through the beast's brain with a lethal strike.

As the beast's body began to dissolve into smoke, leaving behind a lingering haze, Albi leaped down from the tree with Oliver in tow. Meanwhile, Ema emerged from the dissipating mist, stretching as she walked toward them with a confident smile.

"That was easy," remarked Ema, a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

"Oh yeah, what about the boy?" Albi added, dropping Oliver to the ground. 

"My dad! I need to find my dad!"

Ema crouched down in front of Oliver, her expression softening. "Do you have any ideas where he might be?" She offered a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, he was in pretty bad shape when we saw him," Albi confirmed.

"The City," Oliver said, determination in his voice. "We need to get to the city."

"Sorry, we don't have any form of identification on us, so we couldn't pass the outer gate," Ema explained, offering a smile.

"It's okay, I know a way," Oliver responded confidently.

"All right!" Albi exclaimed, hoisting Oliver onto his shoulders. "Lead the way!"