I was Drafted Into a War as the Only Human

Eri’s hand kept reaching, slow and steady, like an invisible thread was pulling it.

"Eri, no!" Lucy shouted, his voice sharp and alarming. But the cat-beastkin didn’t respond. Her eyes were fixed, her thoughts consumed by whatever silent voice the statue whispered into her mind.

He lunged for her, but she was faster. Or maybe the statue was. She touched it before he could grab her hand or Llarm’s wind could stop her.

Her fingers brushed the stone.

And all hell broke loose.

Eri’s body jerked violently, seizing up as if struck by lightning. Her knees buckled, but she didn’t fall—she remained upright, trembling uncontrollably. Her wide eyes locked onto the sky, unblinking, mouth slack—

Then she screamed.

Raw. Endless. A sound that tore through the quiet like a blade. It echoed off the bone-white trees, bounced down the stone path, and sent a murder of black birds fleeing from the canopy in a panicked flurry of wings.

Carlos began to bark again, louder and more frenzied than before. He snarled, hackles raised, tail stiff, his little body bristling like a drawn bowstring.

’What the hell is going on?’ Lucy froze, hand still half-raised. A gut instinct screamed at him—don’t touch her. He didn’t know why, but something told him it would only worsen things.

Instead, he activated Soulthread.

A flood of emotion hit him like a crashing tide.

Fear. So much fear choked him. Dread ran ice-cold through her bones. Sadness so deep it felt like she was drowning in it. And beneath it all—something older. Something terrible. A grief that didn’t belong to her.

"Eri!" Fenric bellowed, voice cracking with fury and panic. "You’re such a fucking idiot—snap out of it!"

Gindu lunged for her too, panic twisting his voice into something jagged. "Eri—Eri, fight it! You’re strong, dammit! Fight it!"

But Bruma and Lucy shouted in unison, voices laced with urgency.

"No! Don’t touch her!"

It was already too late.

They were too close, too desperate to listen.

Thankfully, Llarm was ready.

The air around them exploded into motion. With a surge of effort, he lashed the wind out like ropes, yanking Gindu and Fenric backward before they could make contact.

"I have to help her!" Gindu roared, straining against the gusts, muscles bulging beneath his armor. "She’s in agony—look at her!"

"I—can’t—hold him—much longer!" Llarm gritted through his teeth, his face pale with effort. The wind spiraled wildly around them, visible now, thrashing like a living thing.

Seeing that Fenric had stopped resisting, Llarm released him.

Immediately, Fenric moved to help Bruma, and together, they grabbed Gindu by the arms and held him fast. Even with all three of them struggling, it barely worked.

"Stop it!" Gindu howled, his voice cracking. We can’t just stand here!"

Lucy ignored the commotion, turning his full focus back to Eri.

She was on her knees now, her body convulsing, hands clawing at the ground. Her screams still echoed, piercing and endless. Her mouth stretched too wide. Her eyes stared skyward, glassy and blind. She looked like she was breaking.

And Lucy could feel it.

Her terror. Her despair. Her complete and utter helplessness.

He clenched his fists. His jaw locked.

’Damn it, Eri—come on. I know you’re in there. You’re stronger than this.’

The scream kept going, ragged and haunting.

’What is this statue?’ His thoughts spiraled. ’Why is this one different? It’s not like the others. From what little Bruma’s said, Caelgor doesn’t work like this... So then... is it Seraphine? Or something worse?’

And then—like a switch had been flipped—

Silence.

Eri collapsed.

Her scream cut off in an instant, her body crumpling sideways onto the silvergrass that bordered the road. The soft rustle of her fall was almost gentle after the violence of her pain.

Carlos stopped barking. Now he only growled—a low, vibrating sound deep in his throat, barely more than a rumble. His teeth were still bared, his stance rigid.

Lucy remained still, eyes fixed on Eri’s unmoving form. He reached out with Soulthread again—and there it was.

Faint.

But alive.

Eri’s emotions trembled like smoke in a windstorm—but she was still in there. Scared. Exhausted. Shaken to her core.

But alive.

Then, almost as suddenly as she’d collapsed, Eri stirred.

She sat up slowly on her knees, her breath shallow, and placed a trembling hand against her forehead. Her short brown hair hung in disarray, damp with sweat and sticking to her skin. Her fingers pressed against her temple as if trying to piece her thoughts back together.

Her eyes were blank. Not unfocused—empty.

And Lucy, still tethered to her through Soulthread, felt it too.

Hollow. Numb.

"What... happened?" she murmured. Her voice was low and hoarse, like her throat had been scraped raw. It sounded more like breath than speech.

Gindu broke free from Bruma and Fenric’s grip before anyone could stop him. He dropped to his knees beside her and fiercely wrapped his arms around her.

But she didn’t return it.

She just sat there, staring straight ahead, unmoving. As if she didn’t even realize he was holding her.

"I thought you were going to die," Gindu whispered. A single tear slid down his cheek and dripped onto her shoulder.

Llarm knelt beside them, gently resting a hand on her other shoulder. "I’m glad you’re okay," he said softly. "I’m sorry the hero couldn’t have been more help."

Lucy stood back, watching. He wanted to kneel, too, to offer comfort, but his thoughts were spinning too fast.

"Bruma," he said, his voice low, "have you ever seen anything like this before?"

The tall green ogre shook her head, her long violet hair swaying behind her like a silk curtain. "No. In all my years in Seraphs Hollow, I’ve never come this far east. I’ve read more books than I can count on this region, but I’ve never encountered anything like this."

Lucy turned to Fenric. "What about you?"

Fenric gave a tired shrug, his eyes dim with concern. "Beats me. But Carlos—he definitely sensed something. Wish the little guy could talk."

Lucy glanced down at the small shadow pup, who now sat tensely near Eri, his ears twitching and his growl barely audible. His eyes never left the statue.

Lucy rubbed his chin, deep in thought. ’Carlos knew it was dangerous. But how? Could he feel it... or does he know something we don’t?’

Then Bruma spoke again. "What now? If we keep heading east, there should be a village about two miles up. This was the first statue we’ve seen, so we must be close. But..." She looked at Eri, concern plain in her voice. "I’m not sure she can make it."

Lucy hesitated.

’Shit... this sucks.’ He glanced at Eri again—her pale skin, her unfocused eyes. ’We’re on a tight schedule. If we don’t reach Caelgorr’s lair and end this within three months, we’ll miss the War Games entirely, and I do not want to know the ramifications for that.’

’But Eri’s barely hanging on...’

He clenched his jaw.

’Why do I have to be captain?’ he thought bitterly.

’The gods can wait. Lives matter more.’

"We’ll camp here for the night," Lucy declared.

But even as the words left his mouth, Eri moved.

She stood up, swaying slightly, and pushed both Gindu and Llarm off her with unexpected force.

"No," she said flatly. "I’m okay. Let’s keep going."

Lucy immediately felt the lie—Soulthread didn’t lie. Her emotions were still unsteady. Disjointed. She was holding herself together by sheer will.

"Eri," Gindu said gently, rising with her. "Let’s just rest. You’ve been through too much."

"Yeah," Llarm added, placing a hand on her back. "You need to recover first. There’s no shame in taking a break."

Even Fenric spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, dumbass, don’t go trying to be all tough after almost dying. You’re not built like us dog breeds."

But Eri only shook her head. Her eyes, still dull and haunted, remained fixed forward.

"No," she said again. "I’m fine."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "You sure?"

She gave the slightest nod. Mechanical. Forced.

He felt the lie again—but he also felt the determination underneath it. She wanted to move. Needed to move.

He exhaled slowly, then nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Team, we’re heading to the village. Let’s go."