[YELLOW PALACE'S SHELTER, TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE BREACH]
Erik was waiting inside a room with hundreds of other students; they were all from the Red Palace, meaning that they were able to fight; however, the people who remained were deemed too young, inexperienced, and untrained to join the military effort, so they had been left behind.
Aside from them, there were a couple of older men and women who still worked but had passed the sixty-year-old age and couldn't defend the city as they were deemed unfit to fight. They would have said otherwise, but they knew deep down that they were not as strong as they used to be and that their reflexes had slowed down with age.
A lot of people let out sighs of relief when they saw that it was Erik and a bunch of other students who entered the shelter. They all knew the young man and were aware that he was stronger than most of them. However, despite knowing he was definitely stronger than them, they doubted he and the ones who came with him could provide much aid in case they were attacked.
The older people in the shelter were probably even more worried about what would happen to them in the future. Despite their relief, many in the shelter recognized their safety was still uncertain. They had been left out of the city's defense precisely because they were inexperienced in dealing with thaids since they hadn't started their military training yet, meaning that the reality of the situation was beginning to sink in for them.
"Hello…" Erik said this to those already in the room, but no one replied. All the people were worried for themselves and their parents' well-being, so the mood was gloomy, and Erik clearly understood that.
The boy then sat on the ground.
The door to the shelter opened and closed often as more and more people came inside. In the end, around five hundred people stuck together in the massive Yellow Palace's shelter room.
Most of the fifteen-year-old kids were calm and composed, of course, without considering their worries about their families. Luckily, they had already fought some thaids the previous week, so they had a hunch on what to do; the problem was that they didn't know what thaids they would eventually have to face, as they didn't have the assurance they could face them as they had when they went hunting the last time. However, most of them were curious about what was happening outside.
A guy asked one of the newcomers about the situation outside. However, they had been stuck at the Yellow Palace until now, so they didn't really know what was happening.
"Nothing happened for now," someone replied, clearly unaware of how bad the situation at the eastern gate really was. However, the battle could be easily heard from the middle of the city due to the explosions.
"It looks like the horde arrived in front of the city, but I can't say much since I could only hear the explosions." another said.
The shelter room was a very high-quality one; it was built in such a way as to stop sound from coming out, ultimately preventing monsters from finding survivors thanks to their hearing.
Moreover, the best defenses the Red Palace could provide were placed to protect the place, but it was clear they would be enough only to repel the weaker thaids. If something happened, the students had to rely on themselves.
Suddenly, a pretty girl turned to Erik. "Hey you, can't you go outside to see what is happening?" she said while winking at the young man.
The sudden request surprised Erik, but he did not intend to comply with it. "Hell no," he replied.
Despite having battled thaids several times, it would be foolish to head out when an attack of such magnitude was happening. It wasn't like he was scared, as he knew how to fight the monsters, but based on what his master told him and what the military shared, the beasts today were way out of his league.
The girl's face became red with anger; men usually did whatever she asked as she mesmerized them with her beauty. Outrightly contrasting her in public, no less, shamed her deeply.
Erik noticed the bulging veins on the girl's neck, but he did not care; who the hell did she think she was to ask him to risk his safety for the sake of others? Did she really believe that he would be willing to risk his life for a bunch of strangers?
The girl tried to recompose herself, and once she did, she spoke to Erik again, saying, "Look, you are clearly able to defend yourself and are probably the strongest here. Isn't it your duty to scout outside as the strongest here? Besides, why are you so scared? Didn't you participate in the past week's hunt?" The girl said.
"Didn't you participate in the hunt too? Why are you asking me to go outside when you can do it yourself?" Erik replied.
The girl's face turned ugly. "Calm down, you two; quarreling doesn't solve anything," an old man interjected. Erik recognized him as one of the clerks working on the Yellow Palace's first floor. He looked at Erik and smiled at him since he clearly recognized the young man too.
"Look, if push comes to shove, it will be us, old ladies and gentlemen, to see what is happening and protect you," he said while pointing at the other older people.
"We may have been deemed too old to fight, and I must admit that it is unusual for us to be still working, yet we had been in the army like everyone else and were pretty strong during our time. Besides, it's not like our neural links decreased. Don't worry about anything."
This calmed the students down, Erik included. He was at ease but a little anxious. He then closed his eyes and started concentrating on his hearing. He didn't know if the building's walls were enough to hide them, especially if the students kept making so much noise.
Erik was assessing the situation objectively: what to do in case of attack, what to do if a certain situation arose, and so on. He was carefully weighing all the options and considering potential outcomes to ensure he was fully prepared for any scenario that may arise.
The critical thinking and foresight he gained when he increased his intelligence would prove invaluable if the situation escalated. He could already see how valuable his increased intelligence was since he had a lot of ideas on how to escape danger.
As the young man was lost in his thoughts, a voice came from one of the speakers inside the room.
"Attention citizens, the eastern gate has been breached; I repeat, the door has been breached. Reach the closest shelter and wait to be rescued. If you are already hiding, do not leave the shelters."
"Fuck," a curse escaped from Erik's mouth.
People started becoming uneasy; something like this was unprecedented; it had never happened that the gates had been breached. This sparked a lot of debate inside the room; many thought they would die, others put their faith in the army, and others prayed for a miracle.
The tension was palpable as everyone awaited the outcome with bated breath, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
People quickly noticed that it was the police's task to defend the citizens, but they were also aware that the sudden recruitment notices the army issued some days ago referred to them too. This meant that it was likely that very few police officers were still inside the city.
Erik's worry for his friends increased, and the young man guessed they were probably inside the Red Palace's shelter, but he found it weird since they should have been at the Yellow Palace to train with their masters.
Besides, Aaron had been exempted from training today as he had to make a short trip to the city and should still be there. He didn't know where he was, but he hoped he could reach a shelter.
"What time is it?" a young man asked. "It's 14:55," Erik replied.
"Are you telling me that the army lasted twenty minutes against a bunch of no-brain beasts?" someone said in outrage.
"Yeah, I'm exactly telling you this," Erik dejectedly said.
The situation was dire; it was just a matter of time before the creatures reached this part of the city. Erik was sure of it.
"OK, guys," the old man started talking. "It is true that you are all young, have few neural links, and didn't receive any military training. But you are Red Palace students; you are the future elites of the nation, and you must remain calm and keep thinking logically," he suddenly said.
The man was right; they weren't total newbies. "Now, relax and have faith in the army. OK?" The old man then added. "Nothing will happen to you if you stay in the shelter. Do not worry..."
What the man said made the students calm down a bit, but it wasn't enough to keep the group of rowdy teenagers under control. His tone and presence were effective for only a short period.
Erik kept his composure the whole time and started making neural links to kill time. Initially, the other students thought he was crazy as he was training in such dangerous hours, but as they saw how calm he was, they started emulating him.
The old man nodded when he saw Erik was inspiring the other kids to stay calm and spend their time productively. His evaluation of the young man increased a lot.
***
Martha, Amber, Floyd, Mikey, Anderson, Mikey, and Benedict were currently in the Red Palace's shelter. They were there because most of the teachers were making the students spar before the army called them to help them gain experience.
This meant that they ended up elsewhere. However, the kids were very anxious, as they were worried about their family and friends. They knew that Erik was probably inside the Yellow Palace's shelter since, as the only student under Master Niemine's care, he basically received private teachings and didn't come here to spar.
However, Anderson and Mikey were very worried about Aaron for apparent reasons. Of all the days he had to go to the city that day, didn't he hear that a thaid horde was marching toward the city? How could he be so irresponsible?
"What do you think is happening outside?" Benedict asked. To be honest, he would have gladly joined the army to fight the thaids; he was a battle junkie, after all.
"The thaids are probably flooding the city's streets right now," Amber replied.
"I'm a little bit worried," Floyd said. Do you think the shelter will be enough to repel the thaids?" he asked.
"It depends," Gwen said. She was the most logical and cynical of the bunch. "If monsters of the Leylarhad caliber attack the building, then yes, but do you imagine this place repelling a Yevyagìt? It's impossible." She added.
Without the teachers and people defending this place, the Red Palace was just another building. Humanity stood a chance against the thaids only because of brain crystal powers. Nowadays, technology was only useful as a mode of transportation.
The seven friends had to stay strong; they needed to keep their calm, and in case something happened, they had to collaborate. They knew the importance of working together and remaining level-headed, especially in moments of crisis.
Each of them brought unique skills and perspectives to the group, which made their collaboration even more valuable. Together, they faced a series of obstacles and challenges, were able to help Erik during the last week's hunt, and were all powerful students. They were sure that together they could make it.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢