Dawn Architect

chapter 33: beacon in the dark

**POV Eirlys**

I could feel the pain and my eminent death, but in a last effort I moved my sword to stop him as the older brother began to teach us the basics of the elemental knight's art he mentioned to us that its strengths were its wide range of adaptability and base improvements, although I don't fully understand it, he said that when it came to combat it was an art that was focused on counter attacks.

In the basic position of the art The shield covers the heart, while the sword is positioned to protect the neck and head, allowing a solid defense that seeks to counterattack, and that specifically was what at the last second avoided my instant death, the sword that was closer than the shield was able to interfere with the path of the axe, avoiding losing the head pr completely.

But still it was too late. The wound in my neck was deep and blood was gushing out. My vision was blurring and everything around me seemed to move slowly. I knew that this injury meant my doom, but still I didn't want to succumb here.

'I will not die like this, nor will I fall here.' My heart was pounding and felt like it was on fire, indicating that I was still alive, but deep down I knew it was only a matter of time, and inevitably my vision faded into darkness.

.

.

In the abyss of utter darkness, there was nothing . I couldn't see anything, I didn't know who I was or what I was doing there. I didn't know if I was walking, if I was still, if I was even breathing. I didn't know if I had a body or if I had ceased to exist in that immense blackness. I was lost, trapped in a sea of uncertainty and disorientation. Everything was empty, an infinite expanse of nothingness. My mind floated in a state of complete confusion, an absolute chaos where my identity and reality vanished.

Suddenly, in the midst of that darkness, I glimpsed something: white flames. I vaguely remembered that someone, my brother, had warned me about them. 'Who is the brother?' The thought flashed through my mind, but I failed to grasp the answer.

I didn't know who this brother I thought of was, but in my deepest being, I knew that those flames were something significant, something crucial. Intuitively, I knew that those flames could be the key to understanding what I was doing there, to remembering who I was.

With hands I could not see, could not feel, with something I thought was me in this black world, I reached for the flames. I felt every fiber of my being, every fragment of my existence, struggle to touch those flames, to cling to that spark of hope.

As my fingers - if I really had fingers - brushed the flames, the world around me changed. The darkness began to dissipate, and the emptiness filled with colors and sounds. I remembered who I was. I remembered the situation I was in. I was on the ground, in a pool of blood. My own blood. The pain and reality hit me hard. I felt every wound, every cut and every blow.

Confusion gave way to a terrifying realization. I was on the verge of death, bleeding to death. Yet something inside me refused to give up. Something deep inside me was fighting with an unyielding fury, an iron will. That white flame was not just a memory. It was a beacon in the darkness, the last hope, the way out of my inevitable death I didn't know how, but somehow I knew.

With each passing second, the white flames not only illuminated my mind, but also began to interact with my body. The lethal wounds I suffered slowly began to close. I felt a warm energy coursing through my veins, knitting the torn flesh back together, restoring life where before there was only agony.

I watched the beasts advancing slowly, as if they were enjoying a hunt, approaching the rest of the children. I also saw Clayton, who was lying in the distance, wrapped in dirt and blood. It looked like he had managed to block the attack, but was thrown backwards with numerous wounds.

I slowly sat up, holding my neck, and realized that I had no wounds. White flames surrounded my body and I felt that my mana had greatly diminished, but all fatigue and wounds were gone and I even felt that I was regenerating mana faster than usual.

I wasted no time and, taking advantage of the fact that the beasts were not looking at me, I sneaked up to one of them and stabbed it in the back, piercing its heart. It let out a death scream and tried to fight back, but it had already retreated to safety. The beast fell to the ground and died.

"ah..ha..ah" .My breathing was heavy, but despite having successfully taken out one beast, I knew that the remaining one was enough to finish us all off, and to make matters worse, I noticed that more creatures were heading our way. But I would not give up. I sharpened all my senses and remembered my brother's teachings.

Now that I was calm I knew that the approaching beast appeared to be three-starred. At that moment, I felt a change in the atmosphere.

I did not know where it came from, but suddenly I was filled with power. The white flames had already restored me, but now I felt a strength greater than anything I had ever experienced before.

Without time to question it, I noticed that this time I was able to react to the beast's attack and block it successfully. Thus began an intense exchange of blows between us, but it ended faster than I expected.

The reason was that, in the middle of the fight, four swords were thrust into the beast's back. They were the children who had followed us. Although they were initially paralyzed by the shock and instantaneous loss of my and Clayton's edema from the pressure emanating from the beasts, they somehow suddenly found courage and attacked the beast from behind.

I was amazed at their quick recovery and determination to fight, even after witnessing my apparent fall. I was also amazed that I matched the beast in combat, but I had no time to reflect on it, as more beasts approached and our options narrowed.

Nevertheless, we felt strangely powerful. I even saw Clayton get up, confused but unharmed, and the other boys inside the cave, with flames burning in their eyes and an unwavering will to fight. Even those who were wounded seemed revitalized.

With no time to question anything, I organized the others and we prepared to face the beasts. Although they were only one- and two-star beasts, their numbers easily exceeded a hundred. We fought relentlessly, with relentless determination, until we managed to get rid of every single one of them.

In the midst of the combat, I lost track of time; I didn't know how much we had fought or if more beasts had joined the fray. My only concern was to eliminate each of these creatures. Even time seemed to distort, becoming blurred and meaningless. I was completely absorbed in the battle, thinking of nothing else.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself surrounded by the corpses of beasts. I looked around and saw that everyone was unharmed, and even the wounded seemed mysteriously healed, as if the injuries had not occurred. I felt a strange confusion, but still I continued to fight, eliminating any remaining traces of danger. Although I didn't know how long it had been, to me it had been as if I had fought for hours.

When finally not a single beast was left standing I felt a relief that made my strength leave me and I fell to the ground exhausted. As I collapsed, my vision slowly dimmed. However, before I lost consciousness completely, I sensed someone holding me and heard a comforting voice telling me:

"You did well, rest for now." With those comforting words echoing in my mind, I drifted into unconsciousness.