Only I Am Level 1

The children had all found themselves inside a lively and cursed sea of grey-black mud. Julius tried pullings his legs out but every time he used force his body as a whole sank down faster.

Although Julius was the closest to the carriage which was just outside of the radius of the attack, even he did not know if he would be able to reach the carriage before the swiftly charging cavalry pierced through him.

Lucas looked down, with eyes bulging.

”Take my hand. ”

He spoke gravely, his figure leaning out as far as it could, threatening to fall off the carriage and into the sea of writhing black mud.

Julius reached out sinking in the process, just as Julius thought that he would sink into the underworld, a sweaty palm met his own and a force pulled him from the mud with time.

Julius went into the insides of the carriage immediately and braced himself. He could hear Lucas muffled shouts from the insides of the carriage.

”Albert. We have to save them. ”

Albert seemed to be the old carriage master.

Albert looked at the stuck and now weeping children with solidarity.

”We don have enough drust to save them all, unfortunately. ”

Lucas was desperate.

”We don need to save them all. Just half. Just a few. Even one. ”

”Please just save somebody Albert. ”

Albert nodded and gave up.

”Sure, Ill save two kids. ”

Lucas smiled graciously.

Bang.

The entire carriage started to shake and rattle. Julius looked around in confusion.

God Im confused. What was with that mud? Ive never seen a place with this kind of ecosystem.

Soon the carriage started skidding forwards rapidly. A gold mystical trail was left in its path. Two tanks of golden glitter started to deplete as the carriage crossed through an eighth of the entire mountain range within moments. It stayed afloat in the air momentarily due to the drust.

As the last of the drust was used to propel the carriage away from the horses of the cavalry, Lucas could only look back in betrayal.

”Albert… ”

”You said. You said you would save two kids! ”

Lucas looked at Albert in rage. Albert merely responded humbly.

”And thats what Im doing. ”

Lucas lost his breath as he saw the horses mirages of white flow through the children, soon after the children slumped before falling and being devoured by the muddy sea of black. The sea only parted when the horses were about to get stuck, it was a military-grade spell used for eliminating enemies by the Kingdom of White.

The commander met eyes with him, grinning psychotically. He had waxed back black hair and a disgustingly charming face.

Lucas stared back in outrage.

”Bastard. ”

Lucas hit the sides of the carriage in anger. The children, all other than Julius had perished.

A few tears slipped down Lucas cheeks.

”I don even care anymore. ”

Julius opened the carriage door.

”What. ”

And there he saw that all the children had disappeared, in fact, the entire scene had disappeared.

There were no longer mountains sides, rather now they were in a field of black grass.

Julius knocked his head.

”Theres no way its been that long since we left. ”

Julius had no clue about the death of the children.

”Hey uhm, Lucas. ”

Lucas was at the back of the carriage.

”What happened to the rest of the kids and how long has it been? ”

Lucas looked back with dead eyes.

”Exterminated in no less than a minute. ”

Julius coughed.

”What are you on about. ”

He still had no clue about his current situation.

Julius sighed.

”Well, I just hope we didn leave all the kids behind with those strange military cavalry guys. ”

Lucas laughed bitterly.

”Can you leave behind someone who has already died? Or do they leave you behind first? ”

Julius furrowed his eyebrows.

Whys he acting all weird.

Yevian Dusel, the Commander of the White-Dirt Extermination Unit adopted a serious and adapted gaze.

”Can we use the tracking magic on them yet? ”

All the men there were wearing heavy coats of audacious greys and they all had white stripes in their hair as they sat on their horses.

”Yes sir. ”

Soon, one of the men began moving his hands around mystically, within a few moments a tangible and fairy-like blue substance was remnant in the air.

It seemed unsure of what to do and poked itself in random directions.

Yevian squinted his eyes.

”Whats going on? Why is it not tracking them? ”

The tracker shivered, one bad move and he could get white-washed for knowing too much.

”Sir, the only reason it wouldn work is if I was out of mana… ”

Yevian laughed dryly.

”Which you are most definitely not. ”

The tracker continued hesitantly.

”Or if it was used on Irregulars. ”

Yevian put a hand on his chin.

”Thats… too unlikely. Theres rarely more than 1 irregular in a kingdom and you
e trying to tell me theres 3 in one carriage? ”

The tracker quivered.

”… Yes sir. ”

Chrt.

In one sick instance, Yevian pulled out his bayonet from its hold and slashed upwards.

A silver glint resided for a split-second before a wave of blood left the Trackers chest through a newborn slit.

The tracker then fell to the floor with tears on his face.

”He lies. ”

Yevian scoffed. 3 Irregulars in one carriage was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

”We do not need a tracker, spread out into the Iron Kingdom, retreat when it turns dark or if Iron troops catch on to you. Those children cannot escape. Not if any of you lot want to see your families walking by dusk. ”

The troops all nodded solemnly before charging off, horse trottles resounded for another minute before it was finally silent.

Yevian snorted.

”Even if my men do not catch them by the time night strikes, the Bandits of the Eastern Mountains will do their job pleasingly. ”

And so Yevian rode off in the path of his men.

Julius still had no idea what had happened. He didn even know who the owner of this body was. Who knows, maybe they had swapped lives.

Julius cackled evilly.

Little mans gonna have a lot to clean up.

It was around nighttime at this point.

Lucas walked in steadily, he looked like he had been shot thrice in the neck.

”Julius, make some light I need to study these papers. I can fail again. ”

Julius shrugged his shoulders in discomfort.

”Do I look like a caveman to you? ”

Lucas cursed.

”I don have time for these goddamn jokes Julius, use Soleil. ”

Julius sighed, his voice growing with anger.

”I already told you, I don remember a thing. What can you understand about that? ”

Lucas gripped his hair in frustration.

”Arghh. Just say Soleil it doesn even need hand movements to circulate the circle. ”

Julius tousled his hair whilst lifting his right hand.

”Soleil. ”

Soon, a flat vibrant orange circle full of rotating complex symbols formed, it began swirling slowly.

Soon, a small construct of light formed above it, shimmering the insides of the carriage with a chill yellow hue.

The flat glowing orange circle continued spinning.

Julius felt like throwing up.

”Magic? ”

Lucas felt like hitting Julius.

”You
e not funny. ”

Julius felt like choking.

”We have magic? ”

Lucas looked at Julius dead-panned.

”Yes Julius, we have magic. But because you are the biggest idiot I know you could only master Soleil and Hades. The weakest light and darkness spells. So despite being the one with the most potential out of all of us, you ended up being the most useless even after we escaped. ”

Julius had been infused with intense curiosity.

Instantly he moved his right hand rapidly, breaking the circle and ultimately destroying the light construct.

”Hades. ”

A flat circle of rotating darkness formed.

Lucas swore.

”Fucker-. ”

Before Julius knew a thing, the circle pulsed and Lucas eyes had gone fully black.

In outrage, Lucas placed two fingers on his eyes.

”Anti-magic. ”

A green source of energy filled his eyes, disrupting the darkness.

”What the hell did you blind me for? ”

Julius shrugged.

”My bad, I forgot what it did. ”

Lucas breathed out heavily.

”Whatever. Bring back Soleil. ”

”Soleil. ”

Silence descended as Lucas began studying some papers on the kingdom of Iron.

Julius was overcome with boredom but he knew he shouldn distract and annoy Lucas.

Julius left the carriage innards and went to the front by Albert. As he left he recognized huge peaks of mountain summits. The sky was black and full of silvery clouds.

”Hey… You know where we are? ”

Albert looked back in humbleness.

”The Eastern Mountains of the Iron Kingdom I would like to believe. Somewhere around the middle now. ”

Julius nodded in silence.

”Why are you helping us? ”

Julius just couldn help but ask such a question.

The driver looked at Julius nonchalantly with cold eyes.

”Because we are the same. ”

Julius looked back at him in uncertainty.

”Me and you? ”

The driver nodded.

”And Lucas. ”

Julius felt sort of creeped out.

”Yeah, thats uhm… good on you. ”

”Yeah. ”

Julius went to the back of the carriage with a feeling of melancholiness.