"Ah..!"
A girl who stumbled and fell while running is now crying under the blazing sun, sweat trickling down her face.
"Ouch... it hurts..."
Blood oozes from her grazed knees. She tries her best to stand up, but her body seems unresponsive.
"Yura, what happened?!"
Her brother rushes over with all his might upon discovering his sister in distress on the street.
"Brother..."
With a plaintive voice, she reaches out her injured knee to him. Realizing what has happened, her brother carefully presses a handkerchief against the wound.
"Ouch... Ouch...."
The girl winces in pain, tears welling up in her eyes, while her brother continues to encourage her and tend to the injury.
"I'm sorry... but just bear with it a little longer..."
Moved by her brother's words, she clenches her teeth and endures the pain.
"That should do it! The bleeding seems to have stopped!"
Despite the white handkerchief now stained with her blood, her brother is relieved to see her condition improving.
"Thank you, brother...!"
As the bleeding stops and the pain subsides, she manages to smile weakly and attempts to stand up.
"Ah?!"
But apparently, it's more than just a scraped knee. She collapses back to the ground.
"It looks like you've sprained your ankle... In that case..."
Her brother, realizing she can't walk on her own, kneels down and offers his back.
"Climb on, I'll carry you home."
"Um... thank you..."
She gratefully accepts his offer and entrusts herself to his back.
"Heave-ho..."
He stands up with a bit of effort and begins to walk slowly but steadily.
"Are you okay? Is it too heavy?"
Though he spoke confidently, his steps start to falter slightly under her weight.
"Yeah... don't worry."
He perseveres, carrying her despite the strain, each step a testament to his determination.
The sister, reliant on her brother, clings to his back, quietly feeling his warmth.
"I'm sorry... Mom and Dad aren't home this weekend... and I ended up causing trouble..."
"Don't worry, it's not that much of a bother... We have first-aid at home, I'll apply some ointment on your wound."
The mood is somewhat awkward as she feels grateful yet immensely guilty for the inconvenience caused to her caring brother. "Thank you..."
Her whispered gratitude goes unnoticed, or perhaps unacknowledged, by her brother, who, under the scorching sun, is completely focused on carrying her with all his strength.
"So, about this 'Ruins Library'... exactly where is it?"
Setting off on the journey, they face an unclear destination.
"Well, first we have to head to the Howling Plains... Although we have a map, that region is notoriously confusing. The Ruins Library is said to be located there, shrouded in dense fog 24/7, 365 days a year, with winds that periodically intensify to storm levels. Only the most formidable predators, adapted to this extreme environment, inhabit these lands."
It's a map located in the latter part of the game's story, challenging players with its terrain and monsters, and is notoriously known for being so tough that players hesitate to revisit.
"Hmm... It's my first time going there too, but it sounds like it will be a challenging journey."
In the rattling carriage, they ponder their strategy. Navigating this treacherous path without getting lost was a challenge in itself.
The game's setting describes the forest as swallowing all challengers with its brutal winds and fog so thick that it's impossible to see even short distances. This is corroborated in the game, where finding the path is notoriously difficult.
"We'll start at the entrance marked by people on the map and follow the path that's been made somewhat easier to navigate. We should be able to reach halfway, but the monsters we'll encounter won't be easy."
Despite saying this, in terms of combat, there wasn't much to worry about.
"Yawn... Brother, when are we going to get there?"
"Hmm... I want to take a closer look at this part."
With divine power and awakened talent, nothing seemed too daunting. The basic monsters of the map, not being the final boss, posed no real threat.
Honestly, finding the path was said to be difficult, but it felt more like a matter of time with such capable companions. Rough terrain and powerful monsters might be challenging, but the fog and fierce winds were not significant obstacles for them. "Wait a minute... Aren't you getting too close to brother under the pretense of looking at the map?"
The increasingly troublesome situation between the two seemed to be heading towards a headache.
"What?"
Erina seems to be genuinely focused on the map, but Yura sharply accuses her of using it as an excuse to get closer to their brother.
"Are you just using the map as an excuse to be near brother?!"
"Tsck..."
Erina clicks her tongue in response to Yura's accusation. Why doesn't she refute it?
"It's my brother... you better back off."
Yura, threatening Erina with a mystical flame in her hand.
"Aren't you interfering too much for a sister?"
And Erina stands her ground, unyielding.
"Excuse me, passengers? Sorry, but could you calm down a bit..."
The carriage driver's plea, lost amid the escalating tensions, makes me start to feel guilty.
"Both of you, stop it."
"Uh... brother..."
"Uh..."
I intervene, finally diffusing the situation. If I had been any later, things might have ignited into a full-blown confrontation.
Thud!
The carriage halts suddenly, and a faint but sharp wind blows in from beyond.
"Yes... we've arrived. This is the entrance to the Howling Plains. We've come as far as the carriage can safely travel."
Have we finally arrived? I pay the agreed fare and step out of the carriage with the others. The moment we step outside, we're greeted by fog and strong winds covering our view.
"This is the Howling Plains? It's truly remarkable..."
Erina comments with a hint of awe. The extraordinary aura is felt right from the entrance, a fitting environment for a late-game area.
"Come on, brother! Let's find our way!"
Before I can even take a moment to appreciate the quiet plains, Yura grabs my arm and pulls me forward with her strength.
"Yuriel? You...!!"
Her actions keep provoking Erina. As for me, it was all becoming too much to handle. "Are you not going to let go of that arm right now?!"
The tension finally boils over as Erina unsheathes her sword, ready to confront Yura. The cooperation needed for their journey seemed on the brink of collapse.
"Is that your true colors showing? I'll accept your challenge anytime!"
Yura's personality seemed altered since acquiring magical powers. Her behavior was strikingly different from the sister I knew, now ready to engage Erina with flames blazing in her hand.
"Are you being too tyrannical just because you're family? Have you ever thought about the harm your actions could cause brother?!"
"Me?!"
Yura's eyes widen in disbelief and anger at Erina's sharp rebuke. Her fury is palpable, veins throbbing on her forehead.
"Why don't we settle this with a fight, right here?"
Yura's flame grows brighter and larger, even in the face of the howling wind. Their conflict had escalated beyond control.
"Alright then..."
Erina gets into a combat stance, ready for the confrontation. The situation was critical, and I knew words wouldn't be enough to calm them now.
"Bang! Bang!"
Just as I'm about to intervene, a ferocious roar interrupts from behind.
"Erina, Yuriel? Maybe we should stop fighting for now... Monsters have appeared!"
A pack of giant werewolves, drooling and staring us down menacingly, appeared. These were some of the most formidable monsters in the area, an unlucky encounter at the very entrance of our journey.
"Uh?"
Caught in the midst of their heated exchange, Yura turns to see the werewolf pack.
"Growl! Growl!!"
The werewolves begin to snarl threateningly, recognizing Yura's presence.
Suddenly...
Woosh!
An overwhelming aura erupts around us.
"Yuriel?!"
In that moment, Yura's demeanor shifts so drastically, I begin to doubt if she's still the same person. Just standing there, exuding an incredible aura, Yura starts staring down the wolves.
"Whimper... Whimper?!!"
All the giant werewolves suddenly start whimpering and writhing helplessly.
"Kneel..."
Her voice, cold as frost, commands with absolute authority. Even though it wasn't directed at me, I almost found myself obeying instinctively.
"Whine... Whimper..."
Considering that wolves and foxes belong to the same family, and Yura now possesses the power of a fox deity, could there be a connection?
"Whine..."
At Yura's single word, the wolves collectively lower their tails, sit down, and bow their heads in submission. It was a remarkable sight; even as monsters, their faces clearly conveyed terror.
"Hmph... As if we weren't busy enough..."
Yura's inexplicable power had the monsters bowing to the ground, leaving me sweating bullets in awe and fear.
"Now, brother, which way should we go? I can't tell because of the wind and fog..."
Yura, seemingly losing interest in her standoff with Erina, suddenly asks me for directions.
"Uh... well, let's follow the map as best as we can..."
Honestly, it was my first time here too, and the perspective from the game was different from being on the ground in person.
"Hold on, step aside, Harold."
As I was fumbling, Erina steps forward decisively.
"This wind and fog are annoying..."
She raises her sword skyward, and then...
Boom!
A sound like a combination of a flash and a whirlwind echoes as Erina strikes down with her sword, causing a supernatural event. The mist and the intensifying wind envelop me.
Caught in the midst of these extraordinary forces unleashed by Erina, the journey in the howling plains seemed to be starting with more challenges than expected. "Keeeee!"
The wolves' pitiful screams echo through the fierce storm.
Shortly after...
"Huh?!"
I open my eyes, feeling something odd as the wind that should have been battering my skin is no longer present.
"Now it's much easier to see."
The Howling Plains have simply become... plain fields. The storm-like winds and the fog that had completely obscured visibility... all vanished. The wolves, nowhere to be found.
With just one strike, Erina had transformed the environment. That single blow was powerful enough to twist the nature of our surroundings.
"Ah, there it is! The Ruined Library, right? Isn't that it?"
As the fog clears, a high spire becomes distinctly visible in the far distance, at the end of our line of sight. The tower, still shrouded in mist, seems almost mystical.
"Maybe...?"
The library, so easily found, feels somewhat anticlimactic. Introduced like a place from legends, it's a bit disheartening to find it so effortlessly. Simultaneously, I am astounded by their latent power.
"Looks like we've decided then. Let's go, brother!"
The ecosystem's apex predators submit to a single cold command... This is the late story area, right...?
"Looks like we have a bit of a walk ahead of us."
While I'm speechless with surprise, the girls seem unfazed and casually pull at my arms, urging me forward.
Once again, I'm sharply reminded of their capabilities. Just how far do their limits extend? I've realized that if they ever seriously turn on me, I'd stand no chance against them.