The Reaping

Chapter 12: Mikey the Hero and Friends

The moment the dungeon faded away, I expected to see the same empty clearing we had entered from. What I didn’t expect was a girl standing just a few feet away, staring at us like we had just fallen out of the sky.

My breath caught in my throat. She wasn’t supposed to be here. Mikey and I had been alone when we entered. But the look on her face told me she was just as shocked to see us. Her wide eyes darted between us, lips slightly parted like she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

I took her in quickly—shoulder-length dark hair, glasses perched on her nose, and a huge backpack strapped tightly to her shoulders. Her clothes weren’t normal for just wandering the woods. She was dressed for hiking, sturdy boots and all.

None of us moved. The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the breeze. The girl blinked. "Did you just appear out of nowhere?"

The girl took a cautious step back, gripping the straps of her massive hiking backpack. Her wide eyes darted between me and Mikey. "Did you just use… magic?" she asked, her voice unsure, like she wasn’t sure if she should even be saying the word out loud. I sighed. "It's a long story."

I exhaled and decided to just get it over with. "I'm Luke, and this is Mikey." I gestured toward him, and he gave a small nod. "And you are…?" She hesitated for a second before answering, "Elijah."

Mikey blinked. "That's a boy’s name." I snorted. "Says the guy named Mikey." Mikey shot me a glare. "Shut up."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Look, we didn’t just appear out of thin air. We were inside a dungeon, and we just cleared it. That’s why we look like—" I gestured at myself and Mikey, both of us covered in dirt, bruises, and dried blood. "—this."

Elijah’s eyes widened. "A dungeon?" She took a step closer, studying us as if trying to decide if we were messing with her. Then, something seemed to click. "Wait… the voice. The one that explained everything after the Reaping—it mentioned dungeons appearing."

I nodded, feeling a little more at ease now that she wasn’t looking at us like we were complete strangers. "Yeah, we were supposed to head to a sanctuary, too. But we ended up in the dungeon instead. Didn’t even know what hit us. Just... poof, we’re here."

Mikey, who had been quiet for a while, added, "We’re still figuring out what’s going on, honestly. One minute we're trying to survive the Reaping, and the next, dungeons are popping up everywhere."

Elijah’s expression shifted, her gaze distant as if she were lost in thought. "I… I remember now," she murmured, her voice shaky. "We were hiking just behind this meadow, my friends and I. We were just talking, joking around… and then this blinding light—" She paused, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Next thing I know, I’m here, alone. The others… they were gone."

She swallowed hard, the weight of the memory settling in. "And then that voice, the one everyone’s been hearing… it told me the Reaping had begun." Her voice faltered, but she pressed on, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know what to do. I just… I had to survive. I have to get them back."

I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me. The desperation in her voice—the fear of being alone, of losing everything—hit harder than I expected. Mikey and I had each other. But Elijah… she was alone.

"We’ll bring them back," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. I couldn’t help it—I meant every word. I wanted to bring them all back. My mom, Mikey’s family, Elijah’s friends—everyone. I wanted the world to go back to the way it used to be before the Reaping, before everything was ripped apart.

The words felt heavy, but I couldn’t back down. Not now. The promise was something I could hold on to, something that made this fight feel worth it. I could see the flicker of hope in Elijah’s eyes, like maybe—just maybe—she believed me too.

We all stood there for a moment, the weight of everything sinking in. But then Mikey spoke up, breaking the silence.

"We should team up together," he said, his voice steady. "A party." Elijah raised an eyebrow at him, clearly not amused. "Now's not the time to get all celebratory," she replied, her tone a mix of sarcasm and exhaustion.

Mikey just shrugged, unfazed. "Not that kind of party," he muttered, as his eyes flicked to the screen that only he could see. "I'm talking about forming a team—like in the game. It’s how we can increase our chances of surviving, fighting these dungeons, and eventually finding a way to get everyone back."

I could tell Mikey was serious, though there was a hint of humor in his words. Elijah seemed to take him more seriously now, her face softening as she realized what he meant.

"Sounds better than doing this alone," she said quietly, though she didn't look entirely convinced yet. Mikey nodded, tapping something on the invisible screen in front of him. "We’ve got a better shot if we work together. And besides, it’s better than going at it alone." I agreed with Mikey. There was no way any of us would make it through this mess on our own. The thought of teaming up made the whole situation feel a little less hopeless.

A notification popped up in front of me, flashing on the air like it was just part of the environment. I glanced at it quickly.

"Party invitation: Mikey, the hero and friends." Below it, there were two choices: Join and Decline.

I didn’t even get a chance to ask Mikey about it before Elijah scoffed, looking at the invitation with a sarcastic grin. "Nice to meet someone who isn't self-centered," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I’m sure the ‘Decline’ button is looking really tempting right now," I said, making light of the situation.

Elijah shot me a look, and I could see a flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, but she stayed quiet.

Mikey, of course, didn't take the jab too seriously. "Yeah, yeah. You’ll thank me later," he said, glancing back at the notification in front of him. "It’s better if we stick together, trust me."

Elijah seemed to consider it for a moment, her eyes flicking between the notification and us. Then, with a resigned sigh, she nodded. "Alright, I’ll join. Not like I have many other options."

She clicked Join on her screen, and we all stood there, an unspoken agreement forming between us. A team. A party. Whatever you wanted to call it—it was better than facing whatever came next on our own.

The invitation display disappeared, replaced by a new one—this time, it showed our party list. Each of us was listed with our full name, HP and MP bars, and blessing details, all laid out in a neat, almost clinical format.

I blinked as I looked at mine:

Lucas Cruz

Level 3

Wielder/Shadow/Unknown Rank

On top is mikey's

Mikhail Sarmiento

Level 10

Vessel/Zeus/S Rank

Then Elijah's:

Elijah Chu

Level 1

Wielder/Wind/S Rank

Elijah is also an S Rank? It was a weird feeling. Mikey and Elijah had an S Rank, and I was still figuring out how to control my abilities. I couldn't help but feel a little out of place. Like, was I really even on their level? Sure, we had the same mission, the same goal, but when it came to power, I was lagging behind. Would I ever be able to catch up to them?