《Crimson Gloom》


 001 Fate and the Dark Knight

    Red.


    Red against white.


    Warm, sticky, red fluid against the cold, powdery, white snow.


    Blood.


    Fire.


    Dying moans.


    Sighs of last breaths.


    The combination of the fiery setting sun and flickering flames cast long wriggling shadows against the white land decorated with splashes of red.


    Dismembered and bloodied bodies of both humans and beasts littered the grounds. Black smoke billowed from burning buildings. Roofs crashed to the ground after it lost its structural integrity.


    A rural village in the snowy plains had been wiped out by a sudden onslaught of beasts. This, however, was not an uncommon sight. Rural villages far away from the protection of cities often fall prey to harsh environments.


    A boy and a girl lay motionless on the ground in each other''s tight embrace. A severed, gnarly tail which had belonged to a beast pierced through their small bodies. The girl had long left the world, but the boy clutched the shoulders of the girl with his remaining strength, not wanting to let her go.


    He wished to continue to protect her even after her death. His mouth curled up feebly. At least he would follow her soon, reuniting in the afterlife.


    A man with a blood-red long sword stood in the midst of the devastation. He flicked blood off his sword with a single practiced motion. Glowing red runes danced along the blade of the sword. They seemed to have a life of their own. In fact, the sword itself seemed to crave more blood and emitted an unholy and unrestrained aura. It shivered with greed and emitted a faint howling that can only be heard with uncommon ears.


    The man surveyed his surroundings and sheathed his sword with a sigh of disappointment.


    ''Such weak beasts,'' he thought with a hint of annoyance.


    The beasts did not pose any challenge to him. He had been tracking them for sport just to pass his time. When he finally caught up to them, the village had already fallen prey to the beasts. He merely arrived to slaughter them, not to save the villagers.


    Faint coughing came from under some rubble.


    "Oh, there''s still someone alive?" surprise flashed through the man''s cold eyes as he walked towards the rubble, past the bodies of the two children.


    A wrinkled hand emerged from the rubble. It pulled itself out of the rubble and an old man stumbled and fell on his side. He coughed weakly before facing the man.


    "Oh, exalted Dark Knight. I beg of you, please, save the boy!" The old man crawled towards the man and pleaded.


    ''I didn''t expect a mere a villager to know my true identity,'' the man thought and clicked his tongue in surprise.


    The old man looked up to the Dark Knight and pleaded again, "Please¡­ please save him! He mustn''t die here. He can''t die! This child¡­ he''s our hope! The hope for humanity against Zetearophs! It''s not his destiny to die!"


    The old man pleaded deliriously and coughed up blood. He did not have long to live.


    "Destiny?" the Dark Knight laughed cynically and glanced over to the children. "If it''s his destiny, why is he lying here, dying?"


    "Fate¡­ brought you here¡­ therefore fulfilling the destiny! Please! I can only appeal to your kindness!"


    "Old man¡­ you know that I''m a Dark Knight. Does kindness exist in the same world as Dark Knights? Hmm? You should know that saving him means that I have to turn him into one of us. Do you really want that?," the Dark Knight crossed his arms.


    Although it seemed like the Dark Knight seemingly said this out of concern, he actually could not be bothered about the fate of others. As for why he stopped to chat with the old man, he himself did not know.


    The old man trembled and said weakly, "I know¡­ I know! What choice do I have!? He must live no matter the cost! Please!"


    The Dark Knight cocked his head. He wondered why the old man was so desperate. The latter must be more than an ordinary villager in the rural snow plains to be able to discern his identity. He observed the dying old man.


    Blood soaked the old man''s tattered clothes. What caught the Dark Knight''s attention was the old man''s eyes. Specifically, the absence of his eyes. There were sunken-in gaps in place of eyeballs. The gruesome wound was aged like the old man. It seemed that his eyes were gouged out a long time ago. Most importantly, the old man''s disheveled hair was an unusual blood-red color, fading into white from old age.


    The Dark Knight turned to look at the dying boy. The latter had the same hair color, without the whites.


    "Could it be¡­?" a flash of realization flashed passed the Dark Knight''s eyes.


    He went towards the boy and lifted his eyelids and peered into the boy''s irises. They were dark gray.


    "Hmm¡­ they''re not amber? ¡­ Nevermind," he frowned and smeared some of the boy''s blood onto his finger. He tasted it.


    His eyes widened and he trembled, unable to contain his excitement.


    "Hehehehe¡­ hahahahaha!" the Dark Knight laughed gleefully as he found a treasure.


    "Fate¡­ hahaha! I never believed in fate before this, but I might believe in it now! Old man, why didn''t you tell me this earlier? Hahahahah! I would have ''saved'' him immediately!" he exclaimed.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Please¡­ o-our future¡­ depends¡­ on him," said the old man while gasping for air.


    "You can rest assured, old man. I, Grizz, swear on my name that I will save him. Truly, it''ll be such a loss if he died!" Grizz, the Dark Knight, laughed with glee.


    What a stroke of luck!


    Grizz was elated. The boy''s blood was like magic essence itself. Although it did not contain a hundred percent purity, the concentration was high enough that one would strengthen their bodies and increase their powers once ingested.


    Grizz swiftly pulled out the beast''s tail from the bodies of the children. Blood poured from the hole in the boy''s chest. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open. In his blurred vision, he saw a man with a crazed expression. A wide and unsightly grin was plastered onto the face of the Dark Knight.


    "You''re still awake from all these wounds? How tenacious. That''s great. It makes turning you into a Dark Knight much easier," Grizz laughed while he removed a ring from his finger.


    A menacing power was unsealed and burst forth from the Dark Knight. Howling winds with traces of disembodied voices blew outwards from the man. The sparse and dry vegetation dotted among the crystalline snow wilted further under the winds. Any living being would quiver and stop in their tracks from the sheer horrifying and dreadful force exuded by the aura.


    Grizz''s originally ice-blue eyes turned crimson and gleamed in the dark. Maniacal laughter escaped his lips as he reveled in his unsealed power.


    He unsheathed his sword and pointed its tip above the boy''s heart. His dark powers concentrated into the blade of his sword. Grizz took a deep breath and composed himself.


    "Within the Crimson Abyss lays my soul,


    Within my soul, the Crimson Abyss reigns.


    Eternally bounded, my body and my soul,


    As I gaze into the abyss, its powers I gain."


    "May the Laws of the World be my witness, jury, and judge."


    The Dark Knight''s voice reverberated in the silent air as he recited the ancient oath of the Dark Knights. The seemingly simple words belied the power it held. Once a person takes this oath, that person is forever bound by the rules pertaining to the oath. In other words, that person is forever cursed to become a Dark Knight. It was an unbreakable curse.


    The souls of Dark Knights were eternally bounded to the Crimson Abyss in exchange for immortality and powers exceeding human limits. The Crimson Abyss would also gradually corrupt and erode their humanity, pushing them into an endless spiral of insanity.


    It was a steep price to pay, for those who were unwilling.


    As the last echoes of Grizz''s voice disappeared into the air, a faint, high pitched sound buzzed. He pushed his sword into the boy''s heart. Energy from the Crimson Abyss poured into the boy''s body.


    An anguished scream interrupted the silence. The boy screamed as incredible pain flared throughout his whole being. Piercing pain from deep inside his head threatened to split his skull. He could hear the oath repeating in his head like an endless chant.


    At the same time, he saw horrifying apparitions as he gained his first glimpse into the Crimson Abyss. The apparitions were sometimes tangible, sometimes intangible. At times, they resemble twisted humans. Other times, twisted beasts. Disembodied whispers and intermittent wails invaded his senses and threatened to overwhelm him.


    The Crimson Abyss was a collection of horrors from the collective consciousness of all beings. What one would see in the abyss depended on the fear that shrouds one''s heart. However, one thing was common among all who gazed into the abyss:


    Crimson.


    The color that painted their vision. The world dyed in crimson. All shades of crimson converged to paint the world. Sometimes, they were fuzzy and mottled. Other times, a dizzying array of swirls, like splashes of crimson paint on marbled water. Often times, they were sharp, piercing into the depths of one''s soul.


    The apparitions spread their wraith-like arms towards the boy. They went through his body as they grasped onto his soul. He felt like his soul was on fire. The pain was so great that a normal person would have already fainted or maybe even died from the pain. Alas, this tormenting experience happened in his soul and had nothing to do with staying awake or not.


    The pain gradually dissipated as the soul branding was completed. The boy breathed weakly from his ordeal. He was, however, very much alive. His wounds had healed completely. It was faint, but the same aura that surrounded Grizz was felt around the boy as well. Finally, his eyes bore the same crimson gleam as Grizz''s.


    "It''s a success," Grizz laughed as he kneeled down to catch his breath.


    He turned over to the old man and said, "It''s done, old man."


    The old man did not reply.


    He was dead.


    Grizz''s cold eyes glanced over to the boy. A gentle breeze fluttered through his clothes and picked the boy up.


    The boy felt comfortable in the breeze. It was like being swathed in a mother''s embrace. He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep from exhaustion.


    "An air elemental spirit," Grizz observed dryly.


    "Greetings, air spirit." Grizz politely said, with a slight bow, albeit begrudgingly.


    In addition to the dark powers obtained from the Crimson Abyss, Dark Knights are naturally contracted to an elemental spirit. This was supposed to stabilize their existence. After all, being immortal was an abomination that violates the Laws of the World. The Crimson Abyss was said to be an otherworldly source of energy. Being contracted to an elemental spirit helps ground Dark Knights'' souls to this world.


    The air spirit was silent.


    "Ahh, where are my manners," Grizz slapped his head and summoned his contracted spirit. He could feel hostility emanating from the air spirit and decided that his contracted spirit should do the talking.


    An ice elemental spirit emerged from the snow. It possessed a humanoid form that was made of ice. Its hard and transparent body reflected the glow from raging embers nearby. The temperature of the surroundings dropped instantly.


    "Greetings, fellow spirit. I am Esklar," its low and cold voice sounded.


    "Shirin," the air spirit replied curtly. Hints of rustling leaves and whispers of the wind can be heard in its soft and ethereal voice. Unlike the ice spirit who had a solid and tangible body, the air spirit can only conjure winds as its body. It was invisible to the naked eye.


    Grizz eyebrows raised in surprise. Contracted spirits did not have a gender, but they will mimic the gender of their contractor. Therefore, the voice of the spirit will reflect the gender of the contractor. The air spirit''s voice was undoubtedly feminine. Nevertheless, Grizz did not care much as it did not mean anything to him.


    The breeze around the boy dispersed and he was laid back onto the ground. He was in a healing sleep, recovering from his traumatic experience.


    ''Hmm, so the boy''s soul and the spirit isn''t fully connected yet,'' Grizz thought.


    Perhaps the boy was too young, or that both the boy and the spirit were newly contracted. Therefore, the connection between the contractor and the contracted spirit was weak. They were not able to communicate with each other. The spirit would not be able to assist the boy as well.


    ''That''s for the best,'' Grizz thought and sneered. He had plans for the boy. The last thing he wanted was for the spirit to interfere.


    He went to pick the boy up by his shirt. The thick fur-lined clothing he wore was dyed red in blood and clung to his body. A book bag drenched in blood hung across the boy''s shoulder.


    Grizz''s sneer inched wider across his face.


    "How interesting. An Estavan turned Dark Knight," Grizz chuckled.


    He turned to the sky and guffawed, "Hahahaha¡­ Fate! How amusing. Is this what you want, Fate? Hmm? The Laws of the World? Hah! Whatever it is, I don''t care."


    His hand grabbed the chin of the boy. His tone changed considerably into endearment and fanaticism.


    "This, however, is what I care. Ahh¡­ the blood of an Estavan," he licked his lips in anticipation as he imagined the exquisite taste and increase in power that he will obtain from the blood.


    "Boy, you''re a Dark Knight now, an immortal. You''ll give me your blood no matter how much I''ll drain it from you!" Grizz stroked the boy''s cheek and laughed gleefully, his crimson eyes gleaming ominously.


    Such was the fate of the boy. The old man had wished well for the boy, for the latter to continue living despite the risks included in becoming a Dark Knight. Unbeknownst to him, the boy jumped out from the frying pan into the fire when Grizz decided ''save'' the boy. Alas, what awaited the boy under Grizz''s clutches was far from peace.


    If one wished to view this situation optimistically, the old man''s wish was fulfilled. The boy lived, and he will live on¡­


    Forever.

 002 Zetearoph

    The night air was deathly still. Silence pervaded the air. Not even the chirping of insects during humid summer nights could be heard. Silvery light from the crescent moon illuminated the lands underneath it.


    Boom!


    An explosion resounded, followed by the sounds of crashing rocks.


    A kneeling youth was panting laboriously amidst broken boulders. Blood streamed down from the various wounds on his body. A long and deep bloody gash stretched along his right side under his ribs. His vision was dyed red from the blood in his eye. The world spun around him. Before he could regain his bearings, an invisible whip-like force whipped towards him.


    Yu reflexively conjured an elemental shield. A magic circle with intricate patterns appeared on his side. A line of runes in the Old Language swept in a circular arc, attaching itself onto the magic circle as the spell was casted.


    White magic energy collected around the magic circle and resonated with the magic energy within Yu himself. All these happened merely in a split second. The spell was released and a shield made of white magic appeared just in time to block the hostile force.


    Crash!


    The white shield successfully blocked the attack but was shattered into pieces. Yu was sent flying from the collision and landed several feet away. He rolled into a stop and groaned in pain. Several of his ribs were fractured from the impact. His hyper-vigilant senses screamed for him to get up immediately, but his body refused to listen to his commands.


    "Pity. Is this all you''ve got?" A deep voice laced with crackling sounds said.


    The voice came from a seemingly ordinary man. He looked like a simple villager with a set of humble linen tunic over a pair of trousers. There were patches of mismatched pieces of cloth sewn over some parts of the tunic.


    However, the aura exuded by this man was nothing but ordinary. The living quivered with every step he took. His aura exhibited a huge pressure on all living beings, stopping them in their tracks.


    "Dargon," Yu gasped. His body was paralyzed, succumbing to the inhuman pressure from the monstrosity disguised in human skin in front of him. He stared at Dargon with steely eyes, putting on a brave front despite being in a perilous situation.


    "Why didn''t you unseal your powers?" Dargon gestured towards the collar around Yu''s neck.


    "You should be many times stronger than your current sealed form," he asked earnestly. He was truly curious.


    Yu felt the cold bronze buckle of the collar against his neck. He was incredibly reluctant to use the powers from the Crimson Abyss. He felt that he lost a part of himself each time he gazed into the abyss.


    "Are you afraid of it?" Dargon guessed.


    Yu maintained his silence.


    "... You are afraid," Dargon eyebrows lifted in surprise after observing Yu''s expression.


    "Interesting, very interesting indeed," he chuckled.


    "It seems that Grizz had caused you to be like this. Too many cycles of death and resurrection. But still, you''re young, and shouldn''t be able to comprehend much of the abyss yet. I still see sanity in your eyes," Dargon thought aloud.


    Yu froze when he heard Grizz''s name. His expression was a mixture of fear and hate. A chill went down his spine as memories of his past experiences with Grizz flashed into his mind.


    About a decade ago, Yu managed to escape Grizz''s imprisonment and torture of three years, after a chanced encounter with his Master. He thought that his Master and he had successfully sealed Grizz, that they somehow overcame the curse.


    This lasted only a moment. He quickly recovered and came back to the present. When Dargon mentioned Grizz''s name, Yu realized that Grizz must still be alive. Fear and uncertainty gripped his heart.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "You know Grizz? He''s alive?" he asked as his heart sank.


    "Yes, and yes. He''s very much alive. He was the one who told me about you and your intriguing condition," Dargon said while his eyes shone with curiosity.


    Alas, Yu''s final strand of hope was dashed. They did not manage to overcome the curse after all. It was wishful thinking. He knew deep in his heart that the curse was unbreakable, but after so many years, Grizz did not come after him. This had led them to believe that they succeeded.


    Disappointment swept Yu''s heart. He turned to look for his Master and saw the latter''s lifeless body in a pool of blood some distance away. Despair turned to rage.


    He struggled to free himself but to no avail. He could only grit his teeth in frustration and asked Dargon accusingly, "What do you want with me?"


    "I want you to help me," Dargon replied.


    "What?"


    "You are an interesting existence. An Estavan turned Dark Knight. Powers from two worlds existing within a single body. One from here on Earth and the other from the Crimson Abyss. Your existence may hold the key to facilitate human evolution," Dargon explained.


    Nothing but confusion was expressed all over Yu''s face.


    Dargon laughed.


    "Boy, you know nothing, don''t you? Didn''t your Master tell you anything? Maybe he told you something along these lines:


    The Dark Knights and Zetearophs share the same power source, which is the Crimson Abyss.


    Right, we are the same, you and I," he sneered.


    Yu frowned. ''What has that got to do with human evolution? What has that got to do with me?'' He thought.


    Seeing Yu''s expression, Dargon rejoiced, now that he got the latter''s attention.


    "I guess I''ll have to explain it to you so that you understand my motivations. Perhaps you''ll be willing to help me then," he said.


    "You know about the Crimson Gloom, right? The energy from the Crimson Abyss that leaked into your world when the dimensional rifts that appeared and connected our world to yours about four hundred years ago. During that time, your world was exposed to the power of the Crimson Abyss via our world, Zetea.


    The great power from the Crimson Abyss gradually changes everything it touches. Nobody really knows what it is and where it came from. The abyss first appeared in our homeworld. It granted us incredible powers, as you now know. It is now doing the same to your world. It''s a natural process," Dargon paused.


    "Still, what has that got to do with me? What gives you the right to ambush us? Why kill my Master?" Yu almost shouted as his frown got deeper.


    "I apologize. My curiosity got the best of me and I couldn''t help it but test your strength. As for your Master, it was an accident," Dargon sighed.


    "Accident¡­ you--" Yu was speechless while his breath was ragged with disbelief. He clamped down his anger and struggled to move. He looked around for a possible escape route.


    "It''s useless to struggle and think of escape. I have marked your unique bloodline. Wherever you go, I will be able to track you down."


    Yu glared daggers at Dargon. The latter merely shrugged it off.


    "Back to the main point. Natural evolution is random and takes too much time. It will be thousands, if not, millions of years for Earth to completely transform. We can facilitate this evolution. That''s why I need your help.


    The Estavan bloodline, bestowed by one of the Guardian Spirits of Earth, represents the purity of Earth. On the other hand, we have the Crimson Abyss, which is the source of change. Both of these variables are within your body, coexisting. How do they interact? Will they change in time? How will they change?


    By studying the prime example, that is you, we can use our findings to expedite the evolution process. Humans will gain the powers from the Crimson Abyss! You''ll become stronger, faster, smarter, and have faster regenerative abilities! You don''t have to worship deities anymore to use magic, the Crimson Abyss will grant you magic powers!"


    Dargon explained his intentions excitedly. His breath quickened as he was engrossed in his passion. A previously unseen gleam of anticipation can be seen in his eyes.


    "Hahahahaha¡­" Yu laughed suddenly.


    "What''s so amusing?" Dargon snapped out of his fervent expression at Yu''s unexpected reaction.


    "Don''t think that I don''t know what you''re really aiming for. You want our world! Your world is dying and you can''t wait for millions if not, thousands of years for the evolution to complete itself! You can''t survive without the Crimson Gloom. Until then, you have no choice but to hide pathetically in human vessels. That''s why you want Earth to evolve!"


    Yu said through his clenched teeth, almost growling, "I''ll tell you what:


    I. Don''t. Care.


    I don''t care if humans are going to get stronger. I don''t care if your world is dying. I don''t care even if Earth burns down to nothing. I am going to end all this nonsense. To hell with the Crimson Abyss. We don''t need it here."


    He paused for a moment before continuing softly, with his gaze downcast, "Then, I can truly die."


    Dargon was startled by Yu''s sudden outburst. His hands gestured agitatedly as he tried to reason with Yu.


    "You don''t understand¡­ this process can neither be stopped nor reversed. The evolution had started ever since the dimensional rifts appeared and connected our world to yours. Ever since the Crimson Gloom shone onto your world-- "


    [Tisa: Sthenti]


    Two magic circles appeared almost instantly under both Yu and Dargon. Sweeping runes flashed along the edges of the magic circles. They shimmered for a short moment. Yu''s originally dark gray irises shone with golden iridescence.


    "You--" Dargon could not react before the runes clicked into place. The Time Elemental spell was released. Dargon froze halfway in mid-sentence, unmoving. The immense aura exuded by Dargon disappeared in that instant.


    ''I did it!''


    Yu rejoiced internally. He collapsed to the ground, coughing his lungs out. His chest ached. It felt like a battering ram had struck him squarely in the chest.

 003 The Mistake and the Twist of Fate

    ''Speed casting is difficult, especially for an advanced spell. It takes such a huge toll on my body. My magic energy is almost exhausted as well,'' Yu thought, as he analyzed his own condition.


    He looked at Dargon. The latter''s expression was frozen. His face was contorted in surprise, disbelief, and anger.


    Yu grinned, but a grimace appeared on his face instead.


    ''Hah! Do you think I''d let you talk so much for no reason? I was buying myself time to regain my energy. Well, I learned something important about Zetearophs and the Crimson Abyss¡­ Killing two birds with one stone, I suppose,'' Yu thought as he clenched his fist.


    He must act quickly. The Time Prison spell that he cast on Dargon will not last indefinitely. He did not have enough energy to sustain the spell for long.


    Yu got up with much difficulty and stumbled towards his Master''s body.


    A gust of wind blew at that moment.


    He froze at the strong stench of blood. His body shook uncontrollably. His mind went blank. He was transported back to the time when he was in a dark, dank, cell.


    It was cold. He hung from the ceiling as his blood drained from his body like slaughtered cattle. The blood flowing against his skin was incredibly warm in contrast to his cold body.


    His mind floated in and out of consciousness. Sounds were muffled and his vision was blurred. For some reason, he could smell the strong stench of blood clearly. The smell was infused into each and every one of his pores. It haunted him for many years before overcoming it.


    The same stench at the present moment triggered his traumatic experience.


    "... child. My child!" A gentle and concerned voice rang in Yu''s mind. The stench of blood was blown away by a gust of wind, replacing the rust-like smell with fresh fragrance from a prairie after a light downpour.


    "Shirin¡­" Yu gasped and said telepathically to his contracted Air Elemental Spirit.


    "Are you alright, my child?" Shirin voiced her concern.


    "... Yes, I am. Thanks, but please don''t call me your child. I am neither a child nor your child," Yu panted as he regained his senses.


    Shirin chuckled. Slight sounds of birds chirping echoed in her laughter.


    "You''ll always be my child no matter how old you are. I''ve decided on that since I held you in my arms that night," she said cheerily.


    In her heart, she was relieved that Yu managed to give his usual retort when she called him her child. It seems he was not affected very much by his past trauma this time.


    Yu shook his head to further clear his mind. Fortunately, he managed to snap out of his fear with Shirin''s help. Only a short moment had passed.


    Under the dim moonlight, he saw the wound on his master.


    ''Just one blow!'' He exclaimed internally.


    Yes, just one blow was needed to kill his Master. This shows how monstrous Dargon''s strength was. Yu could not win even if he went all out against Dargon.


    The pool of blood that appeared to be black glistened under the dim, silver moonlight. Yu''s breath got caught in his throat. His breathing was erratic. He clenched his fist and was somewhat grateful that he could not see the dreadful dark crimson color of blood.


    ''Master¡­''


    There was no time to grieve. He had to escape. Yu would never agree to Dargon''s plans. He reached a conclusion that he will be a puppet that had to dance to every rhyme and rhythm as Dargon wished. Not to mention, Grizz was involved too. He shuddered at this thought.


    Yu collected his thoughts and took a deep breath. He glanced towards Dargon again and confirmed that the magic was still holding. He was lucky that he only lost concentration for a very short moment. Otherwise, the spell might break and his efforts will be for naught.


    He closed his eyes and steadied his breath and attempted to clear his mind from disturbances. He was about to attempt something that he had only thought of, but not done before:


    Multicasting.


    Casting a new spell while maintaining the magic from another. No one had ever attempted this, not even his grandfather, from Yu''s knowledge.


    Humans only have one mind, and can only multitask to a certain degree. Even if a person was able to apparently do two things at once, in reality, they are only rapidly switching their attention from one task to another.


    Multicasting was of the same notion. Multitasking with tasks that require high degrees of concentration.


    Yu had a plan. He will cast a teleportation spell first to increase his distance from Dargon as far as possible. The Time Prison spell will break after about a minute when the magic supply was stopped. He had one minute to cast another spell that conceals his bloodline so that Dargon will not be able to track him.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ''Right, sounds like a doable plan,'' Yu thought.


    However, there are many things that could go wrong. He did not have time to think about this and brushed away this little uncertainty that bugged his heart.


    After conditioning his body and his mind, he collected the remaining magic energy within himself and plunged through the barrier that separates mind and magic.


    He opened his eyes. A pair of golden iridescent irises glowed in the dark. His Estavan bloodline was fully activated. Magic essence within his blood boosted the purity of his magic energy. He had a higher capacity to cast advanced and complicated spells compared to regular mages.


    A large magic circle appeared underneath him and his Master. It shone with a silver radiance. It was a mesmerizing sight to behold. Unfortunately, there was no one to admire the sight.


    [Spacg: Telrtasi]


    Once again, runes swept along the edges of the magic circle. They shimmered as spatial element energy collected on the magic circle. The elemental energy from the surroundings and the magic energy from within Yu vibrated until they reached resonance. The runes clicked into place and the spell was finally released.


    This whole sequence happened in less than a minute.


    His surroundings changed immediately.


    "Aaaaargh!!!" Yu screamed his lungs out. The pitch of his voice changed as his voice broke.


    Before he could regain his breath, ripples of magic energy coursed through his entire being. He felt as his every fiber of his body was ripped to shreds.


    He did not know where he was. During multicasting, he failed to include the end location for the teleportation spell. Such was one of the drawbacks of multicasting, there were many details that the mind can miss as its attention was divided.


    Tears streamed down his face, clouding his vision. His body spasmed from the pain. He dug into the moist ground underneath and struggled to breathe. His heart, overcome by the burdens of magic, felt like it was pierced by a red-hot iron. He remained like this for some amount of time that felt like an eternity.


    ''One¡­ one minute¡­'' Yu reminded himself as he clenched his teeth.


    He had overestimated himself. The magic energy needed for dual casting exceeded his reserves. To compensate, the spell used some of his blood as fuel instead. The pain he felt all over his body was the backlash from the spell.


    Both his status as an Estavan and a Dark Knight helped his survival. His body was stronger than that of humans. A regular human would have died even before completing the spell. He was really reckless.


    "Child¡­" Shirin''s concerned voice sounded in his mind.


    Yu forced himself to think past the haze of pain.


    ''Not much time left¡­ I have to¡­ have to¡­ huh?''


    He realized that his Master''s body was not with him. His mind alerted instantly, forgetting the pain temporarily.


    ''Wait, the spell should have brought us both together. What happened? Why?'' He was frantic.


    ''Damn it. I messed up somewhere. Multicasting¡­ damn it.''


    He looked around his surroundings. It was darkness all around. He lay on a patch of grass near some cold boulders. In between the boulders, a few yellowish-purple blossoms swayed in the light breeze. Silvery light danced from a nearby stream. His Master was nowhere to be seen.


    Time was ticking. He could not care about his Master''s body right now. However, his magic energy reserves were empty as well. He bit down and held his resolve.


    ''Hahaha¡­ this cursed bloodline¡­ To think that I have to rely on it so much,'' he thought in self-mockery.


    He closed his eyes to ready himself. This time, a blood-red magic circle appeared. It shone with an eerie radiance. Yu managed to only lie limp on the ground. His amber irises shone, although lacking the previous brilliance.


    Tendrils of blood seeped through his open wounds. They formed ribbons of crimson liquid which danced within the magic circle.


    [Bldrh: Smetlrai]


    Runes flashed, followed by them clicking into place. The ribbons of blood were absorbed into the magic circle.


    This was blood magic. The strongest form of magic, which also consumes life force in the form of blood. Blood used to power spells instead of magic energy. Only Estavans were able to perform this type of magic successfully due to their unique bloodline.


    The eerie atmosphere persisted in the air. Yu was already losing consciousness from the sudden drop in blood volume.


    He felt a sudden searing pain in his veins that immediately jolted his consciousness. It felt like his remaining blood was boiling. Screams escaped his throat as he writhed in pain.


    The spell proceeded to seal his bloodline as expected. However, it did not stop there. In Yu''s haste to cast the Bloodline Seal, he failed to think about the constraints of the spell. His battered condition and flustered mind did not help either.


    For instance, Yu''s intent was just to seal his Estavan blood. He did not specify for how long, how much, and the method to break the seal. The sole and strongest intent in his mind was to seal his blood, nothing else. The incomplete spell proceeded according to the Laws of the World.


    After the spell sealed his bloodline, it continued to seal everything related: His mind, body, and soul. This was because a person''s bloodline was deeply connected to all three faculties that make up a person. They exist together and cannot function without another.


    ''No! No-no-no-no¡­ No!'' Yu realized in horror of what was about to happen.


    His memories flashed before they were sealed.


    The burning village.


    The girl who died in his arms.


    Bleeding out again and again.


    His Master''s goofy smile.


    Hours of physical and sword training.


    An elder sister he wished he had.


    People that he wished to protect.


    Enemies he that wished to slay.


    Dimensional rifts that he wished to close.


    His fears, tribulations, and rare triumphs.


    Gone. All gone. The memories scattered like torn pieces of paper blown in the wind.


    Besides his memories, the Crimson Abyss connected to his soul was sealed as well. Yu would not be able to gaze into the abyss as long as the seal holds. Without power from the abyss, his body reverted to that of a normal human''s.


    This turns out to be ironic, as Yu had been searching for a way to seal the abyss within himself for his whole life. Little did he know that it will turn out this way instead.


    Everything about himself was sealed. His entire being was reverted into a blank slate. Only instincts remained.


    Yu sighed as the final threads of magic energy coursed through his body and dissipated. He felt like he was swaddled in soft blankets, lying by the brazier during a snowstorm. This feeling brought about a strange feeling of comfort that had eluded him most of his life. It brought him back to the time of innocence and safety, untainted by the ways of the world. Warmth blossomed from the depths of his heart and unattainable bliss flushed through his entire being.


    Perhaps, forgetting the dreadful nightmares and tragedies of the past was not so bad after all.


    With that, Yu sank into a deep and healing slumber.


    Howling winds rustled the leaves in the forest. A gentle breeze brushed the sleeping youth''s long bangs aside. Dried leaves swirled and gathered around a spot beside Yu.


    The swirling leaves outlined a faint kneeling silhouette. A soft ethereal voice whispered.


    "Sleep well, my child. You will not remember me when you wake up, but I''ll always remember you. We are not connected anymore, but you''ll always be in my heart. No matter what happens, you''ll always be my child, and I''ll always be by your side."


    The air spirit sighed and the breeze dispersed. The dried leaves fluttered back down onto the forest floor. Howling winds continued their path in the skies above.


    A storm is coming.

 004 The Only Way Forward is Down

    The leaves in the forest rustled in the night breeze. It relieved the humid air from the summer afternoon. Buzzing insects were singing in accordance with a tune only known to them.


    Three silhouettes moved cautiously in the forest with the light of a lantern. A stout man was leading the trio with a machete in his hand while a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. Trailing behind him was a tall man and a girl with bright and inquisitive eyes.


    "Hold on¡­ I can smell it. The breeze is blowing towards us. The Night Blossoms must be somewhere in front of us!" A gruff voice said excitedly.


    "Shh! Not so loud, Edward! We don''t want to lure any beasts towards us!" Gale gripped the machete in his hand as he glanced at Edward who was more than a head taller than him. His eyes scanned the forest around nervously.


    "Uncle Gale, wouldn''t the beasts be attracted to our scent first instead of the noise we make?" Elise whispered.


    Her dewy complexion was reflected from the lantern light in her hands. Her childish face and round eyes make it hard for one to get annoyed at her question. After all, she was truly curious and did not mean anything else.


    "Some beasts are more sensitive to sound compared to smell. We can''t do anything much about the smell, but we sure can keep ourselves quiet! There''s no need to attract both kinds of beasts," Gale explained hurriedly.


    "Oh," Elise nodded enthusiastically.


    Edward chuckled and lightly patted his daughter''s head.


    "Keep your questions until later, okay? There''s danger all around us, although we can''t see them. Just follow your uncle Gale closely."


    "Mhm," Elise nodded again.


    "We are heading in the headwind direction. The smell might be coming from afar, or it can be nearby. We may still have to walk quite a distance. Keep your voices down and follow me closely!" Gale cautioned his companions and turned forward.


    After a short pause, Gale turned back to Edward and asked, "How does the flower look like again? Just in case I see it before you."


    "Night Blossoms are purple with pale yellowish edges. It looks similar to a lily, but only with three petals. They are quite easy to spot since the flowers emit a silvery glow under the moonlight," Edward explained.


    "Got it. I''ll be sure to look out for them as well." Gale looked to the sky only to find out that the moon was covered by thick clouds.


    "Glow under the moonlight, you say," he muttered under his breath as he moved forwards.


    Edward gave a small smile and shook his head.


    They moved forward swiftly and cautiously. With the dim light from the lantern, Gale was able to pick out the safest route through the dense forest. Oftentimes, Gale would pause and listen to their surroundings.


    After trudging through the forest of trees, they emerged near the edge of a clearing. Stronger winds blew against their faces.


    "Stop. We''re nearing a cliff or some high ground. Going forwards means falling to our deaths," Gale said and held his hand up.


    He smelled the air and perked his ears up to listen to the sounds nearby. A faint gurgling sound entered his ears.


    "There''s a stream towards the northwest. That should be the way down. The terrain could be steep. Follow my footsteps."


    Edward and Elise nodded and quickly trailed behind Gale. They descended the slope with their body facing sideways.


    "Ah!" Elise gasped as she stumbled and fell as she stepped on some uneven ground. Edward quickly caught her in his arms.


    "Are you alright?" He asked.


    Elise nodded.


    "Be careful! I told you to follow my steps, didn''t I? One wrong step and you''ll step on some deadly plant or animal that could kill you! Another wrong step and you''ll become meat paste!" Gale berated Elise.


    "I''m sorry!" Elise remembered to keep her voice down and whispered.


    Gale swallowed his remaining words upon seeing Elise''s sincere face.


    He could not bear to lash out at her again and can only grumble under his breath, "That''s why I said not to bring her along! What were you thinking? That this is some kind of field trip? If only she didn''t come to me all doe-eyed. Heck, I wouldn''t have agreed to this crazy midnight excursion if we didn''t need that damn flower to cure that damn poison! This is suicide¡­"


    Gale''s grumble turned into a rant and he eventually started cursing.


    Elise pursed her lips into a straight line as she listened to Gale. She thought that it would be good to gain experience by following her father and Gale in search for the Night Blossoms. She hoped that this learning experience will enable her to help her father in the future.


    It was a good thing that Gale could not hear her thoughts. He would explode with rage if he knew that Elise really thought of this excursion as a field trip.


    "Gale. Hey, Gale," Edward ignored Gale''s senseless rant and tapped the latter''s shoulder.


    "What?" Gale snapped.


    "The wind changed its direction. I can''t smell the flowers anymore."


    "Hmm. This means that we''re walking in the right direction. But the only way forwa-- "


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!!!"


    All three of them froze in their steps as they heard an anguished scream. They stood in silence and only their shaky breath sounds were heard.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Father, what''s that?" Elise whispered. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the handle of the lantern.


    "Someone''s hurt," Edward replied with bated breath.


    "It''s from in front of us. It''s close by," Gale added and gulped.


    "That''s also where the flowers are. The only way forward is to go down isn''t it?"


    "No. Don''t. We can''t," Gale shook his head.


    "We have to. We need the flowers to cure Isla''s poisoned wound. Besides, whoever''s down there is hurt. He needs our help."


    "No! Th-that scream¡­ It''s like a beacon for the beasts! He could be attacked by beasts right now for all we know! How could we send ourselves to death?" Gale''s face paled as he shook.


    "You don''t know that. There are no sounds of beasts, aren''t there?"


    "Are the bandits not enough for you, Edward? Why must you seek more trouble?"


    The atmosphere between the two men tensed up. One was being overly cautious, so much so to the point of cowardice. The other was willing to take risks to save lives.


    In addition, Gale had been persistently negative during their trek, to the point where even the mild-mannered Edward felt like he was losing his patience.


    "We''re wasting time arguing. I''m going," Edward turned around resolutely.


    "W-wait! Edward!" Gale frantically grasped Edward''s arm to stop him.


    The sudden motion of the two men caused them to lose their balance. Gale tumbled into Edward and they both rolled down the steep slope. A muffled shout and rustling vegetation accompanied their fall.


    "Father!" Elise cried out in alarm.


    She peered down into the darkness with the dismal light from her lantern but saw nothing. It was as if the two men were swallowed by the inky darkness. Her heart pounded in her chest in worry.


    "Father? Uncle Gale!?" Elise craned her neck as she tried to peer farther over the slope. She squinted her eyes to try to see any signs of her father or Gale. She almost lost her balance and quickly crouched down to lower her center of gravity. A few loose pieces of rock and soil rolled down the slope.


    Before Elise could call out to her father again, a string of screams echoed across the valley. She was almost shocked out of her skin and slid down the slope a little when she jolted. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast that she could hear its beating in her ears.


    ''What happened that could make someone scream like that? It sounds so painful,'' Elise thought with furrowed eyebrows and clutched her tunic in front of her chest.


    She was initially afraid of the sudden screaming. Any full grown adult would also be terrified of the scream that seemingly came out of nowhere in the middle of a dense forest in the darkness. However, after hearing the second screaming, although startled, she felt tugging at her heart. She wanted to help relieve the sufferings of that person.


    Then, she heard some disgruntled curses from underneath.


    "Father? Are you alright?" Elise called out with slight quiver in her voice. Her heart was still pounding. Was her father badly hurt? Was he still alive? Could it be that her mind was conjuring up noises just to ease her worried heart?


    Elise was about to call out again when she heard Edward''s voice.


    "We''re alright, Elise," Edward''s calm voice sounded from below.


    Instant relief washed over Elise''s heart. She let out a huge sigh of breath that was held in her chest all this while.


    "It seems that your uncle Gale had overestimated the height of the ''cliff'' he mentioned just now," Edward chuckled as he held Gale''s shoulder with a big pat.


    Gale grunted. He felt his ears warm up.


    "The slope is steep, but we''re not too far down. Maybe about fifteen feet."


    "Really? I can''t see you at all even with the lantern," Elise said.


    "That''s probably because the light is too dim. It''s almost totally dark. Hmm, to be frank, I find this darkness slightly abnormal," Edward said as he looked up at the sky.


    The thick clouds continued to hide the moon from sight. The sky was as black as the surroundings. Uncertainty gripped his heart.


    "Anyway, I can see you clearly with your lantern. Just try to scoot down along the slope. There are bushes down here that will cushion your fall if you do fall," Edward gestured for Elise to come down.


    "O-okay," Elise replied nervously.


    She tucked the long ends of her tunic that came out before into her belt. She fastened the belt securely. Gripping the lantern for dear life, she descended the slope cautiously. Every step she took was followed by half a step of sliding down the slope.


    After step-sliding down halfway, Elise finally saw the figure of her father.


    "Father!" she was elated and called out.


    The next moment, she felt that she was tumbling down the slope.


    "Got you!" Edward caught Elise and crashed into some bushes.


    Elise hugged Edward tightly. She had gotten such a fright just now, not able to see her father through the darkness. Seeing her father again, she buried her head into his chest held onto him tightly. Edward smiled and comforted his little girl.


    "I''m sorry to interrupt your reunion, but we should really go back," Gale grumbled.


    Hearing that, Elise lifted her head from Edward''s embrace and said, "Uncle Gale, I think we should help that injured person. There''re also the Night Blossoms. Isla will die without them!"


    "Didn''t you hear what I was saying before, girl? It''s too dangerous!" Gale exclaimed.


    "We''re not going through this argument again. We''ve already come so far that it only makes sense to go forth," Edward said, his stern voice sounded, leaving no room for negotiations.


    He held Elise''s hand and picked up the surprisingly intact metal-framed lantern with the other. He resolutely trudged towards the direction of the screaming without waiting for Gale to respond.


    Gale could only bite down his frustrations and follow the father-daughter duo. He grumbled in his heart about their recklessness and foolishness. He thought that his experiences hunting in the forest were giving him the right signs about leaving this place. The ominous darkness and strange winds in this place unnerved him.


    Huge gusts of wind howled in the skies above. The rustling leaves danced on their swaying branches. The wind accelerated when it blew through the valley. The trio''s clothing fluttered and the winds sent chills against their skin.


    Edward squinted his eyes against the gale. He smelled the unique scent of the Night Blossoms again. He quickened his steps.


    "A storm is coming!" Gale yelled above the howling winds.


    Silvery light illuminated their surroundings. The clouds, blown away by the winds, revealed the glow of the crescent moon.


    The trio subconsciously looked up to the sky.


    "Maybe the storm clouds are being blown away," Edward said wryly.


    Glistening light reflected from a stream nearby attracted their sight. They saw a motionless body beside some boulders.


    "There!" Elise pointed towards the body and rushed forwards. Without thoughts of any caution, she shook the body, trying to rouse the person.


    "Hey, are you alright? Can you hear me?"


    "Here, let me take a look at him," Edward gently pushed Elise aside and examined the body in front of them.


    "Is he dead?" Gale asked dryly and looked around for potential danger.


    Edward ignored Gale and looked at the injured person. He held the lantern closer the body and gasped softly.


    He saw a bloodied boy, about fourteen or fifteen years of age. His face was so pale that it looked as white as a sheet under the moonlight. Edward checked the boy''s vitals and found out that the latter''s pulse was weak and that he was barely breathing. His skin felt cold and clammy to the touch too.


    Elise clenched her hands as she watched her father. Suddenly, she noticed that her hands were wet and sticky. They smelled like iron.


    ''Blood!'' Elise exclaimed internally.


    ''So much. It''s like... it''s like in the village when the bandits came and plundered. When they slashed the defenseless villagers indiscriminately,'' she shook as she recalled what had happened a few days ago.


    "Huh? Say, Edward, aren''t these the flowers that we''re looking for?" Gale asked. He was observing their surroundings when he noticed the yellow-edged purple blossoms, glistening in the moonlight.


    "Yes!" Edward exclaimed when he saw the flowers.


    "Elise, pick the flowers. Be sure to include the leaves. They have medicinal properties too. Gale, help me carry this boy. The first-aid supplies that I brought along are not enough to treat his injuries. We need to get him back quickly," Edward instructed the two as he tore a part of his tunic to bandage the gaping wound on the boy''s side.


    "Wait, are you crazy? The blood will attract the beas--"


    "None of this right now!" Edward almost roared.


    Booom!


    Lightning flashed and an explosive thunder boomed across the sky. The storm was truly coming.


    "The storm will wash away the blood. Come! We need to seek shelter! Even better, return to the cave!" Edward gestured to the disgruntled hunter.


    "Elise, you''ve got the flowers?"


    "Yes!"


    "Alright. Quickly Gale, bring us back to the cave!"


    Gale only grunted and complied.

 005 In Times of Darkness

    The trio hurriedly retraced their path through the forest without much incident. They raced against the storm. It was bad news if they were caught in it. The wet ground made traversing through the dark forest even more dangerous than it already was.


    However, they were in luck, as most beasts would also seek shelter from the oncoming downpour. No creature likes to be exposed directly to the storm.


    Gale saw the marker that he left beforehand that indicated the direction of the cave.


    "We''re close!" He cried out in relief.


    After a short distance, they reached a cluster of trees. Gale fumbled around for a hidden rope amidst the branches and pulled it three times.


    The rope was connected to two pieces of wood in the cave that would knock against each other when pulled. It was their signal to the inhabitants in the cave to inform that they were back instead of potentially dangerous people.


    Thunder rumbled across the sky. The thick and heavy clouds that blanketed the sky made it look like the sky was almost meeting the lands underneath. One could feel almost claustrophobic in such an atmosphere.


    The entrance of the cave was a sinkhole hidden behind some bushes. By following signs that Gale had left beforehand, they made their way through the thick bushes with ease.


    The trio had just reached the entrance of the cave when it started pouring. A buxom woman with a lamp stood by the entrance with a weary face. Beside her, a blonde-haired youth guarded the entrance with a stick in his hands.


    "Gale! Thank goodness that you''re back!" The woman cried out when she saw her husband. She rushed towards Gale but was surprised when she saw them carrying somebody.


    "Father, what''s going on?" The youth asked Edward as he saw the scene in front of him.


    "Quick, help us carry him inside. He''s hurt! Eugene, prepare some hot water and boil some rags. And take my kit out!" Edward gestured to the woman for help and urged his son with the instructions.


    Eugene, the blonde-haired youth, stalled for a moment to process what he saw before his brain clicked. He did not expect to see his father returning with a bloodied body in his arms. It was supposed to be a trip to search for Night Blossoms. How did his father end up carrying somebody back?


    Nevertheless, the urgency in his father''s voice snapped him from his daze. He bolted back into the cave to prepare the things per his father''s instruction.


    Gale took out some rope and tied it around the injured youth. When it was done, Martha descended the rope into the cave through the sinkhole. Both Edward and Gale grunted as they lowered the youth slowly, while Martha did her best to guide them.


    It was pouring and they were all drenched from head to toe. The soil beneath their feet softened and was slick. The combined weight of the youth and the two men made the soil sink abruptly.


    Gale stumbled and lost hold of the rope. The sudden increase in tension made the rope slip through Edward''s hands.


    "Careful!"


    "Whoa!"


    Gale and Edward exclaimed at the same time as they both lost hold of the rope. The dangling youth fell without restraints under the pull of gravity.


    Martha, at the base of the sinkhole, heard the alarmed shouts of the men and was startled when she saw the youth free-falling down towards her. She reflexively held her hands out and caught the youth in her arms.


    She sighed. That was close.


    "Martha!" Edward anxiously called and peered down from the edge of the sinkhole.


    "It''s alright! I got him!" She grinned victoriously.


    Edward sighed and felt his whole being deflate. He had had a fright.


    The rest of them descended into the sinkhole without any problems despite being drenched all over.


    *****


    Glowing embers sat in the center of a cave. A group of villagers huddled near each other for warmth. Even though it was summer, the nighttime temperatures can be chilly.


    They did not dare light a fire for fear of exposing their location. The incident that happened a few days ago in their village cast a shadow in their hearts.


    Life in a rural village was already difficult. They had to rely on themselves to provide food and shelter and to fend off beasts. Who knew that bandits would plunder and kill indiscriminately in their remote village. There were not even many supplies in their village to plunder!


    With much difficulty, they managed to escape with their women and children into the forest with the guidance of Gale and Edward. Even so, they were afraid of being followed and decided to hide in the cave for the moment.


    Alas, not all of them managed to escape unscathed. They even had to abandon one of their mortally wounded. Various cuts were on the villagers'' bodies.


    However, this was not the worst. Isla, one of the children, was shot in the arm with a poisoned arrow. Without the Night Blossoms, she would not even survive to see a new day.


    Her mother tended to her daughter anxiously. The blood from the wound had turned black. Her daughter''s skin was cold to the touch in contrast to before when Isla''s skin was burning hot from a fever.


    Isla''s mother held her daughter''s hand and cried. She panicked when she saw that her daughter had difficulty breathing. Could it be that it was already too late?


    Just then, she heard hurried footsteps echoing in the cave and saw Eugene rushing back in.


    "Eugene! What''s wrong?" Isla''s mother asked.


    "Father''s back, Aunt Lynn! He brought back someone hurt too!" Eugene said hurriedly as he started preparing the things that Edward asked.


    "Edward''s back? Did he bring the Night Blossoms?" Lynn asked with hope.


    "I don''t know," Eugene paused and shook his head.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The villagers, who were sleeping, awakened to the commotion in the cave. They were nervous at first but calmed down after they realized that Edward and his group were back.


    They milled about in confusion but made way for Edward as he rushed into the cave. Numerous lamps were lit in the cave to provide adequate lighting. Elise, panting after her sprint, went to Isla and checked her condition.


    ''Not good!'' She exclaimed inwardly.


    "Father! Isla, she..."


    "I''ll trust Isla to you, Elise. You know how to make the Night Blossom remedy, right?"


    "Yes!" Elise bit the bottom of her lip with determination in her eyes.


    She had observed and learned from her father since young. Although this was the first time that she treated someone on her own, she had confidence in herself. After all, her father trusted her.


    Elise learned everything she could from her father for the sole purpose of reducing his burden, for moments like this. Pride swelled in her heart as she busied herself with Isla.


    Edward, without bothering to dry himself, tended to the injured youth. He clicked his tongue and sucked in a dry breath.


    The youth was badly hurt. There were wounds all over his body. Aside from the long gash on his side, his ribs were fractured. Blood was coming out from a wound on his head as well.


    His extremities had scrapes all over with varying degrees of severity. Edward was not sure if the youth had any internal injuries. Worst of all, he had lost a lot of blood.


    After changing into dry clothes, Gale finally had a clear look of the youth that they brought back. Under the light of the lanterns, he was stunned as he saw the youth''s blood-red hair.


    "He-he''s a foreigner! Gale exclaimed.


    The villagers gasped as they realized it as well. They stared at the unconscious youth nervously.


    "Child of the demon," someone muttered.


    Eugene heard the exclamations of the villagers and peered at the so-called child of the demon curiously. The unconscious youth looked like any other person, except the with the deep red-colored hair. He wondered why they called him so.


    Edward frowned as he heard that comment.


    "He''s hurt badly. Someone, please help me hold this down on his wound to stop the bleeding," Edward pointed to a rag while he rummaged through his kit.


    Nobody made a move. Instead, they just stared. Some even stepped back and distanced themselves from Edward and the youth.


    Edward paused. His frown got deeper as he looked at the faces of the villagers. They averted their faces as Edward''s gaze landed on each of them.


    "I''ll help," Martha''s warm voice sounded as she volunteered.


    "Thanks," Edward nodded towards Martha gratefully.


    Gale stared at the youth as he clenched his fists. He remembered the stories, no, the legends that were passed down from their elders.


    Foreigners with blood-red hair were the descendants of demons. They wielded ungodly powers and were a bane to the lands. Misfortune and calamity befall those who interacted with the children of demons.


    He looked at the other villagers and saw that they were nervous. Some even clasped their hands in prayer. Gale was sure that the villagers were having the same thoughts as him.


    He gritted his teeth and made a decision.


    *Shunk.*


    A blade was unsheathed and a dull thud was heard as the leather sheath fell onto the cave floor. A metallic gleam reflected off a blade and flashed into the eyes of the spectators.


    The blade of the dagger stopped at the neck of the unconscious youth. It trembled.


    "Gale?" Martha asked, dumbfounded.


    Gale breathed heavily as he clenched the dagger in his hand. His knuckles were white. He gulped down his saliva. His mouth was dry, his eyes wide.


    Edward turned around and was shocked. He tried to remedy the situation.


    "Gale, what are you doing? Put the dagger down," he said cautiously.


    The villagers were shocked as well. The atmosphere in the cave grew heavy. No one dared to breathe.


    Elise, who was busy with Isla, felt the tensed atmosphere. She could not help but turn to where everyone''s attention was. She gasped in horror when she saw the scene unfolding.


    Just then, the water in the pot in front of her started to boil.


    ''No good, I have to grasp the timing correctly to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the medicine. I must focus! Isla''s life is at stake here,'' she thought resolutely and tore her attention away from the others.


    "Gale," Edward tried to reason.


    "Don''t stop me! I must do this. This demon child must die! If not, calamity will befall us!" Gale''s breath grew ragged.


    "Gale, listen to me. He''s not a demon child. Those things are stories, they''re not true," Edward reached his hand out.


    "You don''t know that! Those stories were passed down for generations. This here is prove right in front of our eyes. Look! The red hair! How can a human have red hair? Who knows if the disaster a few days ago was caused by this thing here!?"


    Gale''s face was flushed. His eyes were wide and he was shaking. He was getting delirious.


    Edward felt his chest heating up.


    "What nonsense are you talking about? There''s no such thing as demon children. Have you seen a demon before? Hmm? Red-haired people are people like you and me. It''s just that they are from far south, much farther than your pea-sized brain can imagine!"


    "Put that dagger down, now!" Edward roared.


    He saw the hesitation in Gale''s eyes and tried to snatch the dagger from Gale''s hand.


    "Don''t!" Gale shouted.


    He gripped the dagger with two hands. The blade pressed against the neck of the youth. A thin red line appeared from underneath the blade.


    Edward stopped in his tracks.


    "Gale, I know you don''t want to kill the boy. You''re not that kind of person. If not, you would''ve killed him already, right?" Martha said gently, appealing to Gale''s conscience.


    Gale bit his lip so hard that it bled.


    Elise, while concocting the medicine, could not bear to see the scene unfold negatively. The medicine just needed to simmer a little before it can be consumed. Noting that the medicine was almost done, she stood up.


    "Uncle Gale, Aunt Martha''s right. You''re not that kind of person," Elise pleaded.


    "Aaaargh! Shut up! This is none of you children''s business! You stay out of it!" Gale''s thundering voice echoed in the cave. His mind was getting increasingly chaotic.


    Elise jolted and closed her eyes reflexively. Her uncle Gale had never treated her like this.


    Gale wanted to kill the youth because he believed that he was doing it for the benefit of all. However, he could not bring himself to kill the youth in front of him. Gale looked at the youth. He was at most fourteen years old. That age was considered a child in the eyes of the adults.


    Gale could not do it. He was struggling against his conscience. He tried to reason, mostly for the sake of himself.


    "Hahahaha! I''ve already killed a man. Why not add a child to the mix?" his eyes were getting delirious.


    "He''s dying anyway. Look, he''s barely breathing. Why should we waste our precious medicine and bandages on him? We have our wounded too. We need these. He''s dying. I''m just releasing him from his suffering," Gale said emotionlessly as he faced the villagers with wide eyes.


    His irrational fear and guilty conscience stirred him to persuade the villagers. He needed a reason to justify his actions. He tried to unload his burden onto the villagers.


    Unfortunately, the villagers just stared back at him. They were afraid but they did not know what to do.


    "Look, Gale. I know that you''re afraid. I''m afraid too. We are all afraid," Edward said with a level voice and gestured to the villagers.


    "We''ve just escaped from the bandits and our fate is uncertain. I have my children to protect and I''ll do anything to keep them from harm''s way," he paused.


    "However, I strongly believe in the light. I believe-- I have faith that, in times of darkness, in times when we seek refuge from darkness, when we seek light, we shall be the source of light itself."


    "In darkness, thee shalt beest the light, so the light that thee seek shalt shine within thee."


    Edward said solemnly and recited a phrase from their faith.


    Everyone gasped when they heard the phrase. The villagers clasped their hands in prayer. Some whispered, others said it in their hearts.


    [O Ytrea, Goddess of Light, grant thy blessings upon this lowly one.]


    The light from the lanterns glowed brighter in a flash. Before anyone noticed it, the light went back to its original brightness. The tense atmosphere calmed down, almost dissipating.


    Raised in the Kingdom of Arbeanne, even peasants were baptized in the faith of Ytrea, the patron deity of the kingdom. Therefore, the villagers immediately recognized the phrase and came to a realization.


    Gale looked at Edward wide-eyed. Tears glistened in his eyes.


    "I¡­ I was just trying to do the right thing. I was thinking for the sake of all of us," he mumbled.


    "Gale, my dear. Do you remember our son, Larry? Wasn''t he about the same age when he was lost and hurt in the forest?" Martha asked tearfully.


    Gale trembled. A shaky breath escaped his lips.


    "If someone found and helped him that year, wouldn''t he still be with us?" Martha reached forward and held her husband''s arm.


    "This boy has a family too. Perhaps his parents are waiting for him to come home, worried sick," her voice quivered.


    "Oh, Martha¡­ I¡­"


    The dagger clattered onto the cave floor.


    *Thud*


    Gale fell onto his knees and held his head in his hands. Martha embraced her husband. They wept in each other''s embrace.

 006 I Dont Remember

    In an unknown dimension, a shallow river flowed steadily, its waters gently lapping against Yu''s ankles. The feeling was rather comfortable. He could stand in it forever to enjoy the calming feeling if not for the ominous darkness that surrounded him.


    He could not see anything except for a soft, faint glow in a distance up front. It was crimson.


    A faint breeze gently brushed against his skin. He was swaddled by a sense of comfort.


    "Come."


    A hollow voice beckoned, barely a whisper in the wind.


    Yu stepped forward, dazed, towards the voice. He felt an irresistibly strange attraction towards the faint glow. It pulsed with a steady, hypnotic rhythm. Step after step, Yu walked forward slowly.


    The river reached his thighs as he continued wading forwards. Its currents got stronger as they threatened to pull him from underneath. Nevertheless, he waded forward steadily.


    The pulsing glow increased in intensity as if in greedy anticipation for its prey. It trembled excitedly with a life of its own.


    Soon, he heard the crashing sounds of a waterfall ahead. Still, he could not see beyond the pulsing glow. He stumbled a few times, but the water current failed to pull him from underneath.


    He heard faint jovial laughter in the distance. Strange, how could there be happiness in such a place?


    Then, Yu stopped as a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It was a little boy. He was drenched from top to bottom. His hair was plastered to his face. His clothes were dyed red. Was it the reflection from the crimson glow, or was it blood?


    The boy stood waist deep in the water and faced Yu. His eyes were dark and unfathomable as if they were whirlpools. Yu''s eyes were drawn to the chest of the boy.


    It was a gaping hole in the middle of the boy''s chest. Chains went through the hole and chained the boy to the riverbed. Liquid dripped from the ends of his hair and down from his chin. Yu stared at the boy, dazed.


    It was him. He was staring at himself, his past self.


    The boy grinned, with sweet dimples forming on his cheeks. However, the expression was far from sweet.


    With empty eyes and red liquid over his body, the boy grinned as he cocked his head to the side. The joints on his neck cracked in that motion.


    A partially disembodied voice with multiple half-screaming and screeching voices overlapped each other asked,


    "Why aren''t you dead yet?"


    *****


    Elise sat on a makeshift stool with her chin on her hands. Her elbows dug into her thighs, so she shifted into a new position. However, her gaze did not leave the sleeping youth in front of her.


    When they first brought him back, there were not sure if he would survive. After a full day and night of intensive care from Elise and Edward, Yu finally showed signs of recovery. Elise slept for almost a whole day after his condition was better. Since then, she had been tending to him.


    ''Yu¡­ what a peculiar name,'' she thought as she observed his face.


    That night, the injured youth woke up from the pain amidst treatment. When Edward calmed him down and asked for his name, the youth mumbled a name in his semi-conscious state. He then fell unconscious and did not wake up since.


    The name was Yu.


    At first, Elise wondered if it was a half spoken word. Maybe they misheard him, as he was not really awake. However, her father said that it was customary for foreigners to have single syllable names.


    "Yu¡­" she said as she rolled the name along her tongue. She said the name a few more times. It was quite pleasant to the ear and easy to pronounce too.


    Elise smiled absentmindedly. She thought that perhaps she should try naming her future children with single syllable names too.


    ''Wait, what was I thinking about again? Future children? How did I go there??'' she blushed as she caught herself in her thoughts.


    "Sister Elise, do all foreigners have red hair?" a little girl crept beside Elise and peered at the sleeping Yu with curiosity. She tugged onto Elise''s skirt.


    "Huh? Uh¡­ n-no, I guess?" Elise was startled from her daydream. She hoped that the little girl did not notice the slight blush on her cheeks.


    "Really?" little Isla asked with beady eyes.


    Elise cleared her throat.


    "Yes, that should be the case. Just look at ourselves. Not everyone has dark brown hair like Isla, right?" Elise said perfunctorily and nodded her head. She then caressed Isla''s soft, fine with a small smile.


    Isla nodded as she pondered upon Elise''s words.


    Everyone in the village called their elders with either uncle, aunt, brother, or sister even if they were not blood relatives. It made them feel closer to each other, like a big family. It was also because their village was small that they were able to do that.


    Elise sighed. Thinking back, although life was harsh with daily chores, she still felt happy and safe with her simple life. Everyone was so nice to each other. They helped one another when in need.


    She did not know what to think of what happened during that stormy night. The villagers acted so differently. They even felt-- cold. There was also her uncle Gale. She never imagined that Gale would think of killing someone that did not bear grudges with them.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She tried to understand from the perspective of Gale and the villagers and knew that they were afraid, but she could not understand their actions. They were nice people, how could they change so drastically?


    ''That''s so complicated. If someone''s hurt, we should help them, right? Yep, that''s much more straightforward, much easier,'' Elise thought and made up her mind.


    "Sister Elise?" Isla blinked and nudged Elise when she saw her dazed.


    Elise smiled and hugged Isla. The little girl snuggled in her older sister''s embrace.


    Just a few nights ago, the girl beside her was at death''s door. In such a short period of time, she had almost fully recovered. The effect of the Night Blossoms was miraculous.


    "Shouldn''t you be resting more? You just got well," Elise asked.


    "Mmm¡­ Isla is well now!" the little girl shook her head stood with her hands on her waist. She puffed up her chest to prove her statement.


    Elise giggled.


    "Okay, if you''re well, go play with Georgine and Lucas. I need to check on his wounds," she pointed at the sleeping Yu.


    "Oh? Weren''t you already checking on him?" Isla blinked her beady eyes innocently.


    "Uhhhh well¡­ you see¡­ I was just checking his condition. Now I have to remove his bandages to check his wounds! A-anyway, go play with the other children now!" Elise shooed little Isla away.


    Isla was puzzled. Why was her sister Elise so flustered? The six-year-old girl could not understand. Regardless, she listened to Elise and ran towards her peers.


    "Georgine! Lucas! Wait for me, let me join you!" Isla''s childish giggles echoed in the cave.


    The other adults who were minding their chores looked towards the giggling children. Their carefree and innocent expressions warmed the atmosphere. Suddenly, the morning sunlight even felt warmer and brighter.


    Elise, who watched Isla''s receding back, turned her gaze back to Yu. His long bangs partially covered his face. She subconsciously reached out to sweep them aside.


    ''Such long eyelashes¡­ Even his eyelashes are dark red,'' Elise thought as she observed Yu''s face closely.


    Her face was only inches away from his. Elise, who had never seen a foreigner, was very curious about them. She continued to observe the features of his face: his straight and small nose, his rounded cheekbones, and his firm jawline. His lips were neither thin nor thick. They looked a little cracked from the lack of moisture.


    All in all, his face was not as angular as some men in the village. It was not as soft as a girl''s either. However, Elise thought it was quite delicate for a boy.


    Sighing, Elise wondered if foreigners normally look like the youth in front of her. She felt that he did not look too different from other youths in her village. Elise was lost in her thoughts with her face inching closer to Yu''s. Her breath could even shake his hair.


    Suddenly, Yu''s eyes fluttered open.


    Elise, startled by the sudden motion, bounced back and fell off her makeshift stool with a shout. Her buttocks landed on the floor with a bump.


    She cautiously peered at the awakening Yu.


    Yu felt that his whole body was weighted down and stiff as he opened his eyes. The blurry image in his eyes gradually cleared as he blinked them several times with difficulty. His eyelids felt dry and grainy.


    What greeted his sight was a girl with round hazel eyes that gazed at him with curiosity. Her slightly wavy and golden brunette locks cascaded down her shoulders. The fine wisps of her hair shone like gold as the sunlight filtered in through the sinkhole and radiated behind her.


    Yu''s eyes widened as he saw her, mesmerized.


    It was as if an angel had descended from the heavens.


    "Uhm¡­ h-hello. Uhhh¡­ y-you''re awake?" Elise stammered with her mouse-like voice that barely squeaked. She gripped her skirt tightly.


    She could not withhold her curiosity and therefore observed Yu for a long time before this. However, when faced before the very subject of her curiosity, her curiosity suddenly fizzled out and was replaced by shyness.


    She felt her face warm up and her heart pounded in her chest.


    Footsteps sounded from behind her.


    "Oh, you''re awake!" Edward''s kind and gruff voice snapped Elise out of her condition. She took a few deep breaths and tried to pretend that nothing had happened.


    Seeing Yu struggling to speak with his dry mouth, Elise quickly fetched a cup of water and passed it to her father. Edward gently helped Yu up and fed him with some water.


    Yu felt refreshed after drinking the water. The cool sensation from the water radiated through his chest as it trickled down into his stomach, rejuvenating him. He saw Edward looking at him with kind and concerned eyes. For some reason, he immediately felt at ease with such a person.


    His gaze roamed around his surroundings as he absorbed every detail that his brain could process. He was confused as he did not know where he was nor the person in front of him.


    "Take it easy, Yu," Edward said as he held Yu''s shoulder.


    "Yu?" Yu''s voice croaked. It had not recovered properly.


    "Yes, that''s your name¡­ right?" Edward asked.


    ''My name¡­'' Yu gazed downwards and was lost in thought.


    He tried to think if it was really his name judging by the expression of the man in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed as he could not seem to remember if Yu was really his name.


    ''My name,'' he thought over and over again but nothing surfaced. It was blank. His mind was clear but strangely enough, it felt like a layer of haze blocked him from accessing want he wanted.


    "Who are you?" Yu asked, this time his voice was less of a croak. He looked at the man in front of him with his dark gray eyes.


    Edward inadvertently gazed into the eyes of Yu. They were the deepest shade of gray and it seemed like they had endless whirlpools in its depth. He felt somewhat sucked into them. One could feel an unfathomable and endless chasm by looking at them.


    Edward blinked a few times.


    "I''m Edward Grimlich. This is my daughter, Elise," Edward gestured towards Elise.


    She smiled back sheepishly and subconsciously hid half of her body behind her father. By now, the other villagers noticed that Yu had awakened and gathered around. However, they still maintained their distance. The group of children ran towards Yu.


    "The foreigner woke up!"


    "Big brother Yu woke up!"


    "Yay!!"


    The children chorused and cheered.


    Martha, who saw the commotion, ushered the children away like how a mother hen does her chicks. The children were slightly unwilling as they wanted to know more about the foreigner.


    "Hahaha. I hope that you''re not bothered by that," Edward''s baritone laughter sounded. He then hesitated slightly before asking another question.


    "Do you know what happened to you?"


    Yu was silent for several moments before he shook his head.


    "We found you in the forest several nights ago. You were injured badly. However, it seems that you''re doing fine now," Edward said gently.


    He did not think that it was strange that Yu did not remember what happened to himself. It was normal for memories to be slightly fuzzy after such a trauma.


    "Where are you from? It''s not common for the people of Farling to be in this area of the world," Edward asked casually.


    "¡­ Farling?"


    Yu was still collecting his thoughts from the absence of memories. The word Farling puzzled him even further.


    "Yeah. I apologize in advance if I''m wrong, but I assumed that you''re born here and did not travel here from Farling. It''s because you look like a mix between someone from the kingdom and Farling. Another reason is that the kingdom and Farling aren''t in the best of relationship these few years," Edward listed off his conclusions that he made.


    "That''s why we don''t expect to see citizens of Farling in these areas these days."


    Yu blinked slowly as he tried to digest the large chunk of information.


    ''Farling¡­ the kingdom¡­ mixed¡­'' he felt that a headache was building up. These few words jumped at him, but he could not really make sense of them.


    ''Is he really talking about me?'' he thought. The furrow between his eyebrows went deeper.


    Noticing Yu''s troubled expression, Edward asked, "Is there something wrong?"


    Yu''s breath quickened slightly. He felt frustrated because he could not seem to remember anything. He thought over and over again, but nothing came up. His whole head was blank. He felt like he existed somewhere before, but right now he was just¡­ here?


    Yu looked at Edward. He glanced over at Elise. He saw the villagers and the children in the background. His jaw worked as he clenched his teeth and gulped down his saliva.


    He looked at Edward again with confusion and frustration on his face.


    "I¡­ I don''t remember anything. Nothing at all," he with his abnormally level voice.

 007 Ulfvidr Forest (1)

    The morning breeze blew, swaying branches while rustling the lush leaves of the tall trees overhead.


    It was still early in the morning. Most of the villagers were still sleeping except for Gale who was standing watch and a few women who were preparing breakfast.


    After Yu was well enough to travel, the group of villagers left the cave. It had been slightly more than a week since they fled from the village. They believed that the bandits would have left the area by then.


    They decided to head North towards the nearest town. Without a map, they relied on Gale and Edward''s knowledge of navigation. Information from traveling merchants that used to pass by their village was also helpful for their journey.


    The meager supplies that they had haphazardly brought along during their escape were almost exhausted. With the help of Gale who hunted and Edward with his knowledge on plants, they somehow managed to survive with the sustenance from the forest.


    Yu sat under a tree and watched the swaying treetops from underneath. His hair that barely touched his shoulders swayed in rhythm with the branches above. His mind wandered to the things that Edward told him during the past four days.


    He was currently in the Ulfvidr Forest. The forest was derived from a language from a fallen kingdom which meant Wolf Forest. According to legends, a young king from the fallen kingdom once saved a wolf cub which then became the Wolf King in the forest. To repay the favor of the king, humans were granted safe passage through the forest since then.


    It was, however, just a legend. Nobody knew if it really happened. After all, the forest harbors many dangers and there had not been recent news of humans meeting friendly wolves. There were no sightings of wolves in the forest in recent years as well.


    Inhaling the fresh forest air, Yu felt himself invigorated. He was brooding over the fact that he could not remember anything. The fresh air somehow made him feel slightly better. He just has to take it slowly, as Edward said. The latter told him that his memories should return eventually and that it is quite common for people to forget traumatic experiences.


    Yu gingerly touched the leather collar on his neck. It was the only personal item he had besides the clothes that he wore from that night. He noticed that he touches the collar whenever he felt uneasy. Somehow, feeling the collar resting on his neck gave him reassurance.


    He stared at his left hand. It had an old, ropey scar that stretched from the edge of his palm, diagonally along his forearm and ended at the base of his forearm. Its color was almost the same as the rest of his skin albeit slightly darker. He flexed his wrist and watched the scar move along with the muscles underneath. He then rubbed it and thought about the possible origins of such a large scar.


    "What are you thinking about?" A cheery voice sounded, alerting him from his thoughts.


    Yu turned to see Elise looking at him with her waist slightly bent sideways and her hands behind her back. Although initially shy, Elise quickly warmed up to Yu. Besides her father checking on his condition, she was the one that helped him most with his bandages. Their interactions made them familiar with each other.


    Besides, Elise felt sorry for Yu''s current memory loss and tried her best to keep him company and cheer him up. She would gladly answer his questions and tell him stories about her village to bring him up to speed about the world through her eyes.


    Yu flinched as his action accidentally stretched the scab over his wound on his waist.


    "Ah, I don''t mean to startle you," Elise smiled coyly.


    Yu just shook his head.


    "Right, it''s that time of day again. Time to change your bandages," Elise clapped her hands together.


    Yu nodded.


    Elise sighed. She got somewhat used to Yu''s silence but still wished that he would talk more. She began removing his bandages.


    "Did you sleep well last night?" she asked.


    "Yes."


    "Really? That''s nice, I couldn''t really sleep. The insects were loud last night. How do you feel today?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Good."


    "That''s great. How good?"


    "¡­ good."


    Elise sighed inwardly.


    ''He''s giving these one-word answers again,'' she thought.


    Elise really wished that he spoke more but she did not mention it to him. She wanted to give him space to settle his thoughts.


    The wound on Yu''s side was healing nicely. The redness had mostly receded. Elise was amazed at such speed of recovery. She thought that it would at least need a few weeks for it to reach this state.


    "Your wounds are healing nicely!" Elise said cheerily as she reapplied medicine.


    Yu nodded. He remembered Edward telling him that his wound recovered faster than average. He observed his hands again. A pair of hands tell a lot about a person, according to Edward.


    Yu still could not wrap his head around Edward''s conjecture that he was trained in the sword, judging by the calluses on his hands. Edward had told him when they were alone because he did not want to startle the villagers.


    What if Edward was wrong? What does sword training had anything to do with faster regenerative abilities? He did not raise his doubts before because he was digesting every bit of information given to him.


    Truthfully, if Edward was right and could discern this much just by looking at Yu''s hands, Edward must be more than a simple villager. Yu glanced over at Edward. The latter was rousing the rest of the villagers.


    Feeling Yu''s gaze, Edward looked back and smiled with a slight wave. He saw Elise focused on applying the medicine and did not bother her. He smiled warmly with pride.


    However, Edward did not tell Yu everything that he knew. Besides all the physical wounds, Yu suffered from internal injuries inflicted by magic. If it were another village healer that had stumbled upon Yu, his life would have been lost.


    Edward had used some of his own magical energy to heal Yu''s injuries. It had been over more than a decade since he used magic and it put a great strain on his body. He held his hand up and it shook slightly. His face was also slightly pale, but none of the villagers noticed it.


    He had his reasons for concealing it from Yu. The biggest reason was that he did not wish for others to know about his magic. It was related to his past and he did not wish to bring it back up.


    "Gooooood Morning!" Eugene popped in front of Elise and Yu.


    Yu and Elise stared at him speechlessly.


    "Aw, come on! Why the dreary faces? It''s a bright new day and a new day for an adventure!" Eugene said boisterously.


    "You seem to be adapting to this really well. Oh no, I think ''having fun'' would be the appropriate word," Elise said sarcastically to her foster brother.


    Eugene''s shoulders drooped.


    "Can''t you see that I''m trying to lift the mood here?" he said with both palms out in front.


    "Shoo. Go away. You''re disturbing us," Elise waved her hand.


    Eugene cleared his throat.


    "I have something to announce today. From today onwards, I shall be called Gino instead of Eugene," he said as he placed his hands on his hips.


    "Huh? Why? Are you discarding the name that father gave you? Besides, why Gino? Wouldn''t Gene make more sense?" Elise asked, puzzled.


    "No-no-no, you''ve got it wrong. I will be sixteen in a month and will soon reach adulthood. As adults, we get to choose our second name," Eugene/Gino said proudly.


    "For the other question: Gene sounds like Jean. That''s a girl''s name," he continued and grimaced.


    "No, Jean can both be a girl or a boy. And where does that bogus claim about adulthood come from?" Elise retorted and crossed her arms.


    "Do I look like a Gene or a Jean to you?" Gino asked and crossed his arms as well.


    "Maybe a Genie," Yu said softly with his deadpan face.


    Elise snickered.


    "Oh, come on, brother. Cut me some slack, will you?" Eugene/Gino held his arm over Yu''s shoulder.


    "Alright, Gino," Yu said, a corner of his mouth rose up a little.


    "That''s my brother!" Gino grinned and ruffled Yu''s hair.


    Elise saw the scene in front of her and felt slightly jealous.


    ''Why does Yu respond to this idiot but not me?'' she grumbled internally. Then, a thought suddenly appeared in her mind.


    "Oho, I think I know what this is all about," Elise grinned mischievously.


    "What?" Eugene asked.


    Elise turned to Yu instead of answering Gino.


    "You see, there''s this thing with Gino. He has never won an argument against me, so he tries to make it up by pulling the older sibling card. This time, he even tries the adulthood card," Elise said with one hand by her mouth, pretending to whisper.


    "Wha-- Hey! Don''t feed nonsense into Yu''s head! Yu, it''s not like that. It''s because my father, Elise, and I have names that start with the same letter. I just want to be different," Gino said hurriedly, trying to persuade Yu to his side.


    "Aha! So that''s why," Elise gave a sly smile.


    "Hmph, so what? Don''t try to change the subject here. Who said that I''ve never won an argument against you?"


    "Really? And when, pray tell, was the time that you won?" Elise taunted Gino.


    "It''s that time when I was ten, by the river behind the village..."


    The two foster siblings continued to bicker about who won in their past arguments. It was mostly stories from their childhood. They were so engrossed that they ignored Edward who called out to them for breakfast. Yu, watching the scene in front of him, felt warmth blossom in his heart. The world felt peaceful.


    Edward sent little Isla in his stead to call over the three who were engrossed in the bickering.


    "Sister Elise, Brother Yu, and Brother Eugene, it''s time for breakfast!" Isla said.


    "Ah, little Isla. You''re here. From today onwards, call me Eu-- I mean Gino," Gino said.


    "Eu¡­ Gino?" Isla asked.


    "Yes, you''re right!" Gino nodded.


    Isla blinked a few times to register the information.


    "Alright, Brother Eugino!" Isla beamed and ran off to the other villagers.


    "Huh? Wait, Isla!" Gino called out to Isla, but it was too late.


    "Everyone! From today onwards, Brother Eugene will be called Brother Eugino!" Isla announced to all of the villagers.

 008 Ulfvidr Forest (2)

    The group of villagers continued their journey to the north in the dense forest. They were cautious with the path that they took, but the mood of the villagers was mostly optimistic. Since Yu had slight difficulty walking, Gino had supported Yu throughout the journey.


    "We will rest for a moment," Gale announced to the villagers.


    The villagers sighed with relief. They had been walking since morning until noon.


    "I think that it''s time to have some lunch as well," Edward said.


    The villagers distributed the food amongst themselves. Jop, one of the younger boys, brought the dry rations to Yu. He smiled and left for the other villagers after Yu accepted the rations with gratitude.


    Even though the villagers distanced themselves from Yu, he did not really mind them. He understood that they were cautious of his background from Edward''s explanation. Edward, however, did not tell him about the incident that night.


    Yu observed other villagers. There were about fifteen of them who escaped. Most of them were women. Three children, Isla, Georgine, and Lucas, were aged from five to eight. There were two young brothers, Jop and Chad who were aged eleven and twelve. The two adult men were Gale and Edward. The rest were women.


    Somehow, he did not register Elise and Gino as a part of the villagers. He had treated them as friends unknowingly.


    "I''m sorry that you have to travel this much with your current wounds," Elise apologized to Yu.


    Yu shook his head.


    "If only I knew magic. I''ve heard that magic can cure wounds in a flash! I really wished that I can learn magic," she sighed.


    ''Magic...'' Yu pondered.


    "Are you not able to learn magic?" Yu asked.


    "I would if it''s easy. How can I learn magic in a rural village? I don''t even know where to start. I''ve only heard about magic from traveling merchants," Elise said dejectedly.


    "How about asking Edward about it? He seems to be quite knowledgeable about various things," Yu suggested.


    "Father? Well, now that you mentioned it, he really does have vast knowledge! He knows about Farling and foreigners when none of the other villagers know about it," Elise mused aloud.


    "Hmph, I heard that magic relies on the power of deities. That''s kind of useless," Gino interjected.


    "Are you disrespecting the deities now?" Elise asked accusingly.


    "No, you misunderstood me again. I mean, what if the deities don''t grant you the powers? What would you do then? I think that becoming strong on your own is the best bet," Gino said.


    "Deities aren''t that fickle! I know what you really mean. You''re still clinging onto your dream of joining the knights, right? You do know that only nobles can be knights," Elise said.


    "There will be a way. Rules are always changing. You have your dream of learning magic, why can''t I have my dream of joining the knights?" Gino retorted.


    Yu glanced at the bickering siblings again. It seemed that they would bicker at almost any opportunity. He shrugged. However, he felt that he agreed with Gino. It was better to depend on themselves rather than the deities.


    The villagers were interrupted by a startled shout.


    Gale and Edward were alerted and went towards the villager that shouted. What they saw sent a chill down their spine.


    It was a half-eaten carcass of a deer. The chilling thing was that the flesh of the dead animal looked as if it was partially dyed in black from the edges of the bite marks. The remainder blood that flowed from the carcass was also black.


    ''This is the sign of corruption!'' Edward exclaimed in his heart.


    "Gale, did we stumble upon some wild beasts'' territory?" Edward inquired anxiously.


    "I don''t think so. I don''t see signs of beasts. We are also on the outer areas of the forest but beasts generally live in the deeper areas. But what is this? Why is it like this?" Gale questioned, He had never seen such a carcass and was weirded out.


    "We must leave the forest immediately," Edward said.


    Gale nodded. He felt unnerved by the strange carcass and agreed to Edward''s suggestion without complaints.


    "Father, what''s wrong?" Elise asked.


    "There is danger nearby, so we must leave the forest immediately. We will be more exposed in the prairie, but the risk is lower," Edward said.


    He relayed the information to the villagers and they quickly packed up and made haste in their journey. The mood of the group immediately turned around and was tensed and anxious. The fear of the unknown was greater than the fear of bandits.


    They moved hastily through the forest. Suddenly, they heard a long howl.


    Wolves!


    Several other howls echoed after the first howl from several directions.


    "Damn it! They''ve surrounded us!" Edward cursed.


    "Run! The clearing is not far from here!" He roared.


    The group followed Edward and ran with all their strength. Although Yu felt like the wound on his waist was ripping apart, he ran as fast as he could. He felt the pressure emitted by the wolves. It was abnormal.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It felt like something was stalking close to them. They could almost feel the breaths of the wolves on their backs. The glares of the wolves from within the forest struck fear in their very hearts.


    Just as Edward and Gale reached near the edge of the forest, a blurred dark figure suddenly leaped out in front of them. They stopped in their tracks.


    A scream rang from the side. Another figure pounced on an unsuspecting woman. It clamped its teeth down onto her neck. Blood sprayed and dyed its vicious face red.


    The group of villagers was stunned. They saw the beast in front of them.


    It looked like a wolf, or safe to say, it used to look like a wolf. Its size looked larger than a normal wolf, but its fur was jet black and much longer. It seemed like some of its furs was floating up in the air, defying gravity. Most importantly, black miasma was constantly spewing out from its body and covering it like a moving shadow.


    In contrast to its black fur, its pupils were glowing crimson. It stared at its prey with its piercing gaze and snarled. Saliva dripped down from its half-opened mouth. The grass underneath its feet wilted and slowly turned black just like the corrupted wolf. Its razor sharp claws dug into the moist forest floor.


    The other wolf-like creatures surrounding the villagers looked exactly like the corrupted wolf in front of them.


    Edward wanted to proceed forward, but the corrupted wolf in front of him blocked their way. Other wolves joined in and advanced, pushing the villagers back into the forest.


    "R-run," Edward gulped down his saliva. However, his voice was stuck in his throat. He knew that they were no match for the corrupted wolves. Such beasts have superior agility and strength compared to normal beasts.


    "Raise your weapons! Protect yourselves!" Gale roared.


    He reacted by relying on his training. When faring against beasts, one should not run but instead stand their ground and frighten off the beasts.


    Gale nocked an arrow and aimed it at one of the corrupted wolves. However, it just stared back at Gale without batting an eyelid. Its snarl got deeper and it looked like it was grinning malevolently.


    The villagers nervously picked up their makeshift weapons and sticks and tried to act brave. Their nerves were doing remarkably well for just regular villagers.


    Alas, it was not enough.


    The corrupted wolves pounced again without warning. Gale loosed his arrow but the beast nimbly dodged it and pounced on another villager. With just one swift coordinated motion, another three women were felled. Their frightened screams echoed, accompanied by the splatter of scarlet blood.


    The remaining villagers carried the children and ran away from the wolves, deeper into the forest.


    Yu, standing amidst the carnage, was dazed. Everything happened so quickly. The iron-like smell from the blood vapors in the air made the fear in him grow. He was frozen on the spot.


    A swift figure caught his attention. He turned to it only to notice the corrupted wolf pouncing towards him. He wanted to dodge, but it would not be in time.


    *Whizz*


    An arrow was shot and embedded itself in between him and the wolf. In order to avoid the arrow, the wolf twisted its body in midair and landed gently on the ground. Such an action was not possible for normal wolves. It snarled at the person who released the arrow.


    "What are you doing, boy? Run!" Gale roared as he nocked another arrow.


    Yu snapped out of his stupor. He looked around and found a knife lying on the ground. He picked it up and felt its weight in his hands.


    He looked around in the chaos. Some villagers had split off from the group and ran away. Gino was swinging his stick wildly. Somehow, it was somewhat effective as the wolves did not really bother him. Most of the wolves had their attention on Gale as he was interrupting their attacks with the bow and arrow.


    Yu turned to the other side and saw Elise squatting with her head in her hands. She was shivering in fear.


    "Elise!" Yu shouted.


    Elise did not seem to hear Yu. She did not move from her position.


    Yu clenched his teeth and ran towards Elise. He grabbed her hand. She screamed.


    "Elise, calm down! It''s me, Yu!"


    Elise stared wide-eyed at Yu for a second. Then, she threw herself against Yu and sobbed. Her frightened thirteen-years-old self took over the bright and inquisitive girl from before.


    "Elise, I need you to calm down and be brave, okay? We''ll get out of here," Yu reassured her with a steady voice.


    Elise released Yu and looked at him. Her hazel eyes met his dark gray eyes. His previously unfathomable eyes were brimming with confidence. His steady voice, grim determination, and confidence calmed her immediately.


    Yu had no idea where his confidence came from. If his future self looked back to this day, he would remember that it just happened by instinct.


    "Elise!" Edward shouted to Elise while fending off a corrupted wolf.


    He saw Elise safe with Yu and was slightly relieved.


    "Yu, take Elise and Eugene and run!" Edward shouted again.


    "Father, no! I won''t leave you!" Elise pleaded.


    Yu glanced over to Edward. Their gazes met and they reached an understanding. Yu nodded once. Edward smiled wryly.


    "Eugene! You heard me, go to Yu and Elise! I''ll be right behind!" Edward shouted.


    "Father¡­" Gino looked at his father and clenched his teeth.


    "Let''s go!" he made his mind and yelled at Yu.


    Yu grabbed Elise''s hand in his own and ran full speed away from the corrupted wolves, deeper into the forest. Gino ran after them in a distance.


    "Father!" Elise called one last time.


    Edward saw the three teenagers'' figures disappearing into the forest and sighed. The corrupted wolves surrounded him and Gale.


    The corrupted wolves could have finished them off quickly, yet they seemed to be toying with their prey. It looked like the corrupted wolves were also practicing tactics among themselves.


    "Damn these wolves. What the heck are they?" Gale cursed.


    "Corrupted beasts," Edward said as he caught his breath.


    "Hah, I don''t think I really know what that is," Gale grimaced as he held his machete. His body had several gashes inflicted by the wolves.


    "Edward, you should go. You have children," Gale said seriously.


    Edward paused and swallowed his saliva. He glanced at the direction where the teenagers ran. He glanced back at Gale.


    "You''re a good man, Gale," Edward said.


    "Are you kidding? I''m a coward," Gale replied. His breath was getting heavier from blood loss.


    He looked at Martha''s corpse. Her flesh was ripped apart, exposing bone and organs underneath. Her bowels spilled out from her abdomen. One of the corrupted wolves had its head in her open abdomen. Her body jerked as it bit and pulled on her flesh and swallowed.


    Her rotund figure made her the prime target of the wolves. Her succulent flesh, rich with fat, was irresistible to them.


    Gale''s gaze fell on his wife''s face. Her wide open eyes and mouth had frozen the expression of fear and dread on her face. Tears mixed with blood stained her round cheeks.


    While the wolf was having his fill, other wolves wanted a share as well. However, the bigger wolf that was helping itself snapped at the other wolves. They could only whine and retreat. In turn, their gaze turned back to Gale and Edward.


    Gale gritted his teeth till they ground against each other. His chest shuddered.


    "You see, I can''t leave her here. Not like this," Gale said through clenched teeth.


    The wolves still surrounded them. Three of them were crowding around Martha''s corpse.


    "I understand. I wouldn''t either," Edward replied.


    He slowly reached down and picked up a fist-sized rock. He tensed his muscles. Watching him, the wolves not engrossed in eating tensed up as well.


    He threw the rock at one of the wolves. It dodged and pounced at Edward. Gale swung his machete and towards the wolf. It acrobatically avoided the swing midair.


    "Go!" Gale roared.


    Edward switched between fending off the wolf attacks and looking for a way out of the encirclement. Gale went into a frenzy and madly swung his machete. He attracted the attention of the wolves to himself.


    Feeling annoyed with the wildly flailing human, the wolves decided to resolve the annoying thing first. The could always chase after the other humans. The corruption not only corrupted their bodies, but it also affected their brains.


    The wolves became more intelligent and wicked. That, however, was a double-edged sword. They were able to hunt more efficiently but they became prideful and careless as well.


    Edward found a way out of the encirclement. He ran in the direction of the teenagers and never looked back.


    "Hahaha! I''m not a hunter if I don''t skin all of your hides today!" Gale laughed maniacally in his last stand.

 009 Ulfvidr Forest (3)

    Yu gripped Elise''s hand tightly and they both raced through the forest. He did not dare stop for rest. He could somehow feel the presence of other corrupted wolves stalking them. Even the bleeding wound on his side did not faze him.


    "Yu¡­ Where''s Gino?" Elise said between panting breaths.


    "He''s right behind us," Yu replied hastily.


    "He''s¡­ not!"


    Yu stopped immediately and looked back. She almost knocked into Yu but caught herself in time. Elise pressed her hands on her knees and panted.


    ''Shit,'' he thought and looked around. He tried to peer past the trees but saw nothing. There was no sign of Gino. Not even rustling foliage.


    ''Where could he be?'' Yu grew worried.


    Elise saw a sudden movement behind a tree and screamed. A jet black wolf spewing with miasma pounced towards Yu.


    Yu reflexively dodged the wolf by a hair''s breadth. It growled when it landed and immediately switched directions and pounced back towards Yu. He barely had time to recover from the previous assault and had not regained his balance.


    "Yaaaah!" Elise shouted as she threw a broken branch that was as thick as an arm as hard as she could at the wolf. It was amazing that she could react in such a short moment. She acted without thinking and only wanted no harm to befall Yu.


    The wolf twisted its body in midair but missed the chance to rip apart Yu''s neck. It was another close shave.


    Yu panted as he glared at the wolf. The wolf, in turn, snarled at Yu.


    ''This wolf moves really quickly. It can even change its trajectory in midair. It is able to dodge any attacks aimed at it,'' Yu analyzed the short clash that happened.


    ''It seemed like the wolf might have a limited number of movements midair. It''s not proven, but it''s a bet that I have to make,'' the gears in his mind spun rapidly.


    Yu gripped the knife in his hand and readied himself. He breathed in deeply and slowly. He held his breath for what he thought was four seconds, but in actual fact, it was only a second. His mind was moving so quickly that his perception of time was skewed.


    His surroundings seemingly slowed down. He felt the breeze behind his back. He was so focused that his pupils dilated and his dark gray irises grew a shade darker. After exhaling sharply, he dashed forward with the knife in his right hand in a reverse grip.


    As expected, the wolf dodged his first attack. It landed nimbly on the ground and pounced onto him. Yu turned abruptly, his speed almost matching the wolf''s and slashed at its vitals. It changed its direction in midair and avoided the slash.


    ''The midair dodge! This is it!'' Yu exclaimed in his mind.


    Yu forcefully contracted his muscles and switched the direction of the knife to match the wolf''s trajectory. The wolf felt the cold rush of wind from the knife''s swing. It widened its eyes and the light in its crimson eyes gleamed. It managed to dodge Yu''s third attack again. It extended its clawed paw to strike Yu.


    The wolf was so quick that the gleam created a streak of red light in the air.


    ''No way!''


    Yu''s muscles screamed as he forcefully changed the direction of his knife once again and leaned backward to avoid the claws.


    If the third time was not the charm, the fourth one was. During its final move to switch to offense and disregard agility, the wolf failed to avoid Yu''s last strike. It did not expect the human to be able to match its speed.


    The blade of his knife finally found its intended mark and buried itself into the neck of the wolf. The opposing momentum of both Yu and the wolf dragged the knife along its neck, opening up a long and deep gash.


    Black blood sprayed and splashed all over Yu. The wolf landed on the ground with a heavy thud. It struggled and twitched for a while before becoming still. Its black blood dyed the forest floor and soaked into the ground.


    Yu crashed onto the ground on all fours. His whole body was trembling. He could barely feel his limbs. His rapid breaths were not enough to replenish the lack of oxygen in his body.


    The adrenaline left his body and he felt the after effects. He could not even stand. His face was pale and cold sweat flowed down his back. The pain from his wounded side came back and was throbbing.


    "Yu! Are you alright?" Elise rushed over to Yu with concern.


    She felt a plethora of emotions during the exchange between the wolf and Yu. The near misses made her heart almost jump to her mouth. Fortunately, Yu managed to dodge every strike.


    At the same time, she was dumbfounded because both the Yu and the wolf moved so quickly that she could just barely follow their general trajectory with her eyes, but not their motions. She herself would not be able to react to such speed.


    Seeing the wolf finally stopped moving, relief washed over her, but when Yu fell to his knees, she was worried that he might be hurt.


    "Yu!"


    Yu could not answer her as he had trouble catching his breath. He coughed a few times and retched. His stomach emptied its contents onto the forest floor.


    "Yu!" Elise exclaimed with concern. She rubbed his back, trying to ease his discomfort.


    Yu shook his head and wiped the corner of his mouth with a shaky hand.


    "We¡­ we need to go. There are three more behind us," he said weakly, his voice hoarse.


    "What?" Elise looked around reflexively. She could not see any wolves.


    "Come, let''s go," Yu said and stood up.


    However, he only managed to stand up halfway before his legs gave way and he fell back down. Elise caught him immediately. She looked at him with concern.


    ''Shit. Damn it. Now I can''t even stand. How am I going to run?'' Yu cursed and clenched his teeth.


    "Here, Yu," Elise put his arm over her shoulders and held his left waist with her hand. She grunted and pulled him up and let him lean against her.


    "You said that we''ll get out of here, right? Let''s go," Elise smiled, but one can see the nervousness all over her face.


    Yu looked at Elise. She transformed from a frightened girl who was too afraid to move into a girl who was willing to carry her injured friend out of danger within such a short time.


    Yu nodded at her determination and leaned against her for support. They stumbled along the forest path. They tried to look for a path towards the prairie but had lost their way instead. During their escape from the initial corrupted wolves attack, they had run in the opposite direction of the wolves without much thought.


    Yu and Elise stopped in their tracks when they heard rustling sounds in front of them. Before they could hide, a towering figure appeared in front of them.


    It was a large muscular man with a greatsword across his shoulder. He was well equipped with a gambeson and leather gauntlets and other protective gear. His closely cropped brown hair was not covered by any helmet. His ferocious gaze sized up the two teenagers in front of him.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Elise gulped nervously when she saw the man. His piercing blue eyes were especially scary.


    ''He wouldn''t be a bandit, would he?'' she hoped.


    "I was wondering about the commotion. Turns out it''s a foreign spy messing around with some wolves," the large man said with an air of great pride.


    ''Foreign spy?'' Yu was alarmed when he heard this phrase. Something was definitely wrong.


    Yu''s eyes locked with the towering man. He was still emitting bloodlust after his fight with the wolf beforehand. The man felt it and his senses tingled.


    "Such scary eyes from one as young as you, how befitting for a spy," the man mocked.


    "For the glory of the Holy Kingdom of Arbeanne, I shall be her sword and vanquish all who stand in her way!" he declared and gripped his greatsword with both hands and swung it down.


    "Wait! You misunderstand! He''s not a spy!" Elise pleaded frantically and instinctively stood in front of Yu, protecting him.


    "All who collude with spies are considered traitors and can be cut down!" the man slashed forwards without a hint of mercy and hesitation.


    Elise saw the blade of the greatsword falling down towards her and was stunned by the unreasonable declaration. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her hands in front of her defensively.


    Yu, although shocked, managed to react. His quick reflexes kicked in. He pulled Elise backward and shielded her from the front. He tried to jump out of the range of the weapon.


    The blade of the greatsword smote heavily against his back. Pain exploded from his back and the force of the slash sent him crashing forwards and onto the ground, pinning Elise underneath.


    Despite the pain, he only grunted and held Elise tightly. The pain almost blotted out his consciousness as his muscles twitched uncontrollably. Blood dyed his tunic red. The slash was so heavy that white bone was exposed and several of his bones were fractured.


    Elise felt herself get pulled and hugged. The next thing she heard was the sound of the blade cutting through the air and Yu''s grunt. Then, she was on the ground and felt someone over her.


    She opened her eyes and saw Yu''s face next to hers. He was breathing erratically. She felt his pounding heart on her chest through his.


    "Yu!" she shook him and held his face.


    He did not respond. She tried to get up but was pinned down firmly by Yu. Her hands touched his back. She felt something warm and wet.


    Elise raised her hands and saw the blood on them. Her eyes widened and her breath got caught in her throat.


    "Ah¡­ ah¡­ no¡­" she mumbled as her chest heaved. Her face was in anguish.


    "No!" she screamed.


    "NO!!!" she screamed even louder.


    Her mind was in a mess. All her bottled up stress and fear since the day the bandits attacked exploded in her mind at once.


    ''Blood¡­ the villagers¡­ All the screams! Why? Why is this happening? Why is it happening again? Why? Why? Why?''


    ''WHY!???''


    Her hysterical screams and wails echoed throughout the forest.


    The man with the greatsword looked at the wailing girl and the motionless boy. He raised his sword with both hands emotionlessly. Although he had no sympathy, he despised torturing his opponents. It was not honorable in his eyes. He would deal a swift blow to end the lives of his defeated opponents.


    "Halt, Greysen! What are you doing?" A man shouted from behind.


    He was equally well equipped as the man with the greatsword. However, instead of a greatsword, he had a regular arming sword in his sheath by his waist. Compared to the towering giant called Greysen, he was medium built.


    "I was just about to end the lives of this Farling spy and the traitor," Greysen replied as a matter of factly.


    "Farling spy?" the other man looked at the two teenagers. Elise was still hysterically wailing. He frowned.


    "Are you sure? They''re just children!" a woman''s voice sounded. She had arrived with the medium-built man.


    Lana wore lighter armor compared to the men. She wore a light colored surcoat over her a lighter version of the gambeson. A white cloak wrapped her shoulders. Her long dark curls bounced as she walked towards Greysen.


    "Stay out of this, Lana. You''re too soft-hearted. Hmph! Farling has stooped to such lowly methods! They are willing to use children as spies!" Greysen said.


    "You should have captured them first for questioning before making such decisions!," Lana furiously said.


    She went towards the two teenagers.


    "Elise!" a boyish voice roared.


    A stick flew and spun a few times in the air before landing in front of Lana. She was hardly fazed and looked at the youth charging towards her.


    "Get away from them!" Gino yelled.


    "Hmph," Greysen readied his sword.


    "Greysen," the man warned Greysen.


    Greysen twitched his mouth and relented. He held his greatsword on his shoulder.


    Gino stood in front of Elise and Yu in a fighting pose and glared at Lana.


    "Child, take it easy. This is a misunderstanding," Lana tried to remedy the situation.


    "Who are you? Are you bandits?" Gino asked, furious.


    "Bandits? Who are you to compare us to such lowlifes? We''re the prideful knights of the kingdom!" Greysen said.


    "K-Knights?" Gino was dumbfounded.


    What are knights doing here? Wait, that was the wrong question. Why are knights hurting his friend and sister? Were they not supposed to uphold justice and protect the weak? Banish evil?


    ''Are these the knights that I have dreamt to join?''


    Gino felt that the worldview he had so far about knights shattering.


    Lana glanced at Greysen with disdain.


    "Don''t mind him. But yes, we''re are from the Institution of White Knights of the Arbeanne Kingdom," Lana smiled.


    "My name is Lana Hatheway. That''s our leader for this mission, Cenric Hayden," she pointed to the medium built man.


    She did not bother to introduce Greysen.


    Gino thought for a while. He found that their identities were quite suspicious.


    "Why should I believe you? The knights I know are proud and uphold justice. They wear their armors and ride to battle gallantly. Why would they appear in the middle of a forest? What proof do you have for being knights?" Gino questioned them.


    "Hah, we knights do not need to prove ourselves. We are blessed by the deities wherever we go. We uphold justice and represent justice," Greysen retorted.


    "Greysen, keep your mouth shut," Cenric ordered.


    "Child, let me help your friend. He''s hurt badly. I can heal him," Lana persuaded again.


    Gino looked towards where Yu lay. Elise had stopped screaming but she was sobbing. Yu was motionless. His blood soaked the soil underneath.


    "Are you really going to do that, Lana? You should conserve your magic energy," Greysen said.


    "It seems that the Order of White Knights has fallen into depravity," Edward said as he walked into the clearing. He held his injured arm.


    "Father!" Gino exclaimed.


    Edward hurried towards Yu and checked on him. He bit the bottom of his lip. The boy had barely survived his previous injuries. Now, he was injured to such a condition instead.


    He gently placed Yu on the ground and instructed Gino to try to put pressure on Yu''s wound. It was impossible, however, since the wound extended from his shoulder to his hip.


    Elise was sobbing when she saw her father. She buried her head in Edward''s chest and sobbed further.


    "Yu¡­ Yu, he¡­" her body shook with her sobs.


    "It''s alright now, Elise. It''s all good now," he cooed.


    "I will have to take up on your offer and have you heal my boy here," Edward said to Lana.


    The words that he used were polite, but his tone was harsh. He held his distance from the three strangers.


    "Certainly," Lana said.


    "Wait!" Greysen said and blocked Lana.


    "What are you trying to pull here?" Lana asked furiously.


    "He''s a spy. We don''t know if they are in cahoots with each other," Greysen whispered.


    "Why are you so stubborn? Whether the boy is a spy or not, it wouldn''t be too late for questioning after I healed him!"


    ''A spy? So that is what''s going on,'' Edward thought.


    The world is getting darker. Even the White Knights were not as bright as before. Edward clenched his teeth. He did not want to remember the old things.


    "What spy? He is my son! A citizen born and raised in this kingdom!" Edward bellowed.


    Everyone was startled.


    Greysen guffawed.


    "Do you expect us to believe that? Your son? What nonsense!"


    Elise and Gino looked at Edward. They were shocked but they did not say anything. They understood their father''s intention.


    "He is. My first wife was from Farling. She died during childbirth. This boy is from the union of two races," Edward explained.


    "Bullshit!" Greysen spat.


    "Where is justice!? The White Knights would not even let us peasants defend ourselves. How do we seek justice when the one that''s supposed to uphold justice denies it from us? Where is your honor?" Edward said.


    The Knights were speechless. They could not refute Edward, especially Greysen.


    "Alright, it''s not the time for this," Lana said.


    She knelt beside Yu.


    "May I?" she asked Edward.


    He nodded.


    Lana held her hands over Yu''s back. She let her magic energy spread and extended it into Yu''s body. She felt the various injuries in his body with her mind. She steadied her breath and began the prayer.


    [O Ytrea, Goddess of Light,


    Grant thy blessings upon this lowly one.]


    [Cure]


    Warm, Gentle,


    Mending, Rejuvenating, Strengthening,


    Dispelling all pain and injuries.


    [Heal]


    A warm glow appeared beneath her hands. The wound began regenerating itself. It started from the fractured bones, the muscles, and finally the skin. It looked as if the natural healing process of the wound was sped up. It was a mesmerizing sight. It was healing magic.


    Elise gasped.


    ''Magic!'' she exclaimed internally.


    She had always heard about the miracles of magic from traveling merchants. This was the first time that she saw it in action with her own eyes. Her eyes caught every detail of the effects of the spell. She wanted to imprint the miracle of magic that she saw.


    Better yet, it fanned her desire to learn magic.


    After a few minutes, the wound was healed. The skin on the back of Yu was smooth with no scars.


    "That''s amazing!" Elise exclaimed. She seemed to have forgotten the shock from before.


    Yu''s breathing returned to normal. He was still unconscious.


    "It''s done. I''ve healed his previous wounds as well. As an apology for the trouble we caused. He still needs some rest because healing magic not only needs my magic energy, but some of the vitality of the patient as well," Lana explained.


    "Thank you. It might actually be a blessing in disguise to meet your group here," Edward said.


    Just then, Cenric tensed. During the whole time they were in the forest, he had spread his perception around himself. Currently, he detected numerous corrupted wolves closing in.


    The wolves realized that their opponents were stronger. Therefore, they gathered their numbers and planned to use numbers to overwhelm their prey.


    Cenric smiled, confidence oozing out from him.


    "Enough fooling around, Lana, Greysen. We''ve got company."

 010 Corruption

    Lana and Greysen immediately readied themselves when they heard Cenric''s warning. Greysen held his greatsword in his hands in front of himself in a typical dueling stance. Lana stood up. With a few hand gestures, she controlled her breathing and invoked a spell via prayer.


    [Shield]


    Sturdy, Steadfast,


    Protecting, Nurturing, Dispelling,


    Making the world invulnerable.


    [Protection]


    A wall of light appeared and enclosed the space where Edward, Elise, Gino, and Yu lay. It curved around them into a dome.


    "This wall of light will protect you from the corrupted wolves and will also purify the air so that you won''t be affected by the miasma," Lana said.


    Elise gazed at Lana and the dome of light with admiration. The views of magic were totally new to her and she was easily amazed by any spell that she saw.


    Edward nodded at Lana gratefully. He knew that they were not able to defend themselves against the full assault of the wolves. Lana''s actions touched him somewhat. She was not obligated to cast a protective barrier over them, but she did it out of the goodness in her heart.


    "Cenric, how many?" Greysen asked. His eyes were brimming with anticipation.


    "About twenty, give or take. Lana, how many more prayers can you invoke?" Cenric asked, his hand on the handle of his sword.


    "I have enough energy for two mid-ranked magics," she replied with confidence.


    One mid-ranked magic was equivalent to about five low-ranked magics. The effects of mid magics were more than enough to deal with the wolves. However, it was better to be conservative, lest they were met with stronger monsters later on.


    "Good, just use one of your support magic to stall the wolves. We will deal with the rest," Cenric said.


    He neither felt threatened nor eager to fight off the wolves. To him, it was just another one of his duties that he needed to fulfill.


    Greysen, on the other hand, was itching for a fight. After being cooped up for so many days at the fort, he was dispatched on a mission to investigate the Ulfvidr Forest for instances of abnormal energy.


    The wolves obviously showed signs of corruption, but where was the source? They were tracking the trail of corruption left behind by the wolves when they ran into Yu and Elise.


    Lana held her fingers together into a triangle and was ready to invoke the spell. The spell that she decided to cast against the wolves was a mid-ranked magic that affects a group of opponents.


    The pack of wolves circled their prey, but they were out of sight. It seemed as if they were watching for any signs of weakness. They were also waiting for their prey to slip up.


    Noticing that their prey was ready for them, the wolves decided to distract the humans. A few black blurs flashed past the group. However, none of them approached within the range of attack of the knights.


    The knights held their position. They were not fazed by the actions of the wolves. They were also waiting for the prime opportunity to strike.


    Elise and Gino watched the scene with bated breath. They had witnessed the ferocity of the wolves beforehand. Although they knew that the trio in front were knights with fighting experience, they could not help but be concerned that they will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of wolves. After all, Cenric did mention that there were about twenty wolves.


    Edward was the calmest among his children. He watched the expressions of the knights. They were calm and composed, without a hint of nervousness. They did not appear to be overconfident as well. Edward was assured after his observation.


    Suddenly, several wolves pounced in small groups at individual knights to isolate them and to divide the fighting power of the humans. Cenric who was closer to Lana swiftly defended her while she invoked a protection spell on herself.


    Several of the wolves jumped towards Edward and his children. They tried to enter past the barrier of light. However, when they tried to bite the barrier, they were burnt instead.


    The light barrier was made of light element. One of the common effects of light magic was to purify corrupted creatures. Therefore, the corrupted wolves were burnt by the light and could not approach the four within the barrier.


    They snapped at the barrier one last time before giving up. Elise was relieved when she saw the wolves leaving them alone.


    Greysen swung his greatsword at the wolves. However, due to the weight of his sword that was almost six and a half feet long, his speed was slow compared to the wolves. They nimbly avoided his sword.


    He cursed. These wolves had increased agility due to corruption. Cenric fared better compared to Greysen. He managed to injure and maim several of the wolves.


    The bodies of knights were much stronger and faster than ordinary people. It was of course, due to their training, but the main reason was that their bodies were blessed with magic energy.


    The three of them seemed to be in a pinch. In fact, they were only putting on a show, for they wanted to lure more of the wolves out into the open. If they showed superior strength right from the start, the wolves might be more inclined to escape.


    Their strategy worked. The other wolves lurking in the shadows joined in the fray. Seeing the majority of the wolves, Lana invoked her mid-ranked magic.


    [Stun]


    Bright, Brilliant,


    Bewildering, Befuddling, Bedazzling,


    Halting the world into a standstill.


    [Confound]


    A bright light shone from her hands and enveloped her surroundings. The wolves were blinded and stunned by the magic. They were immobilized where they stood.


    Cenric and Greysen were not affected by the effects of the magic because they had immunity. However, other creatures, the wolves and human spectators were immobilized.


    "Now!" Cenric roared.


    Greysen and Cenric quickly killed as many corrupted wolves as they can. The magic lasted only for a few seconds. Soon, the wolves were able to move again albeit slower. By then, many of them were killed.


    More wolves emerged from the shadows and behind the thick clump of trees. Greysen got into his stance to prepare to use one of the eradication skills.


    He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands. Magic energy coursed through his muscles. He took a step forward with his greatsword lifted overhead. An emblem that was carved onto the blade glowed. Within a few moments, the blade of the slowed was bathed in light.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    {Splitting Heavens}!


    He spun and swung his sword horizontally. A wide arc of powerful slashing force was emitted from his sword. It slashed through everything in its path. The wolves were split apart. Their blood and bits of flesh and bone splashed. Trees were felled in a fan-shaped direction away from Greysen.


    Greysen smirked. It had worked just like he wanted.


    Just then, a long howl sounded. A wolf larger than the others appeared.


    "Looks like the boss is here," Greysen commented.


    The other surviving wolves gathered around the lead wolf. The alpha looked almost twice the size of the others. Its fur looked tougher and sharper. The miasma was surrounding it was thicker. It had almost obscured the alpha from view.


    Its crimson eyes gleamed from behind the black cloud of miasma. A low growl came from its throat.


    Then, the black miasma spread and engulfed the surrounding air. Small plants that came in contact with it wilted and turned black.


    The knights held their distance. Coming in contact with the miasma was not very detrimental to humans, but it still had minor adverse effects if exposed long enough.


    The wolves within the miasma twitched. They became more savage and bloodthirsty. They pounced at the knights with increased ferocity.


    "What the-- What''s with the sudden power up?" Greysen complained as he fended off the wolves. Their speed had increased further.


    The miasma surrounding the alpha split and formed apparitions of wolves. They moved even faster than the others and attacked Greysen.


    Greysen retaliated by using his eradication skill again. The apparitions split apart but joined back together right after. Greysen widened his eyes.


    "Lana!" Cenric shouted.


    Lana began invoking the prayer for another spell.


    Cenric looked at the swift and ferocious wolves. Their numbers were half of the original but their strength was doubled. Especially the apparitions. Those were tricky to deal with.


    He had to reduce their numbers first. He gathered his magic energy throughout his body and spread it to his surroundings. The emblem on his sword, identical to that of Greysen''s, glowed.


    {Threads of Air}


    Cenric''s perception increased by several folds. He could sense the minute movements of the wolves. He poured magic energy into his muscles and moved to eradicate the beasts. He accurately sensed the trajectory and predicted the path of the wolves. With that, it looked as if the wolves willingly pounced onto his sword, to their deaths.


    The living wolves were felled in a dance of death.


    [Smite]!


    Lana finished her prayer and cast the spell on the apparitions. Light burst from underneath them and shone brightly. The apparitions wriggled before they were incinerated by the purifying light.


    The alpha, enraged by the actions of the humans, charged forwards. Greysen who was anticipating its move blocked it with a huge overhead slash.


    Both Cenric and Greysen clashed against the alpha. They cornered it. Instead of giving up, the miasma collected around itself and began to split again.


    Seeing that, Lana cast [Protection] around the alpha. A dome of light surrounded it. The miasma failed to spread and was incinerated by the light surrounding it. The alpha snarled.


    Greysen activated his eradication skill and delivered a swift blow to the alpha. It was rent into two and fell with two thuds.


    The battle was over.


    The bodies of dead corrupted wolves surrounded them. Cenric looked around to make sure that the threat was over. Sensing no threat, he sheathed his sword. Greysen swung his greatsword over his shoulder and exhaled.


    "Everyone okay?" Cenric asked.


    "Not even a scratch," Greysen said smugly.


    Lana nodded.


    Elise and Gino looked at the knights with awe. Their coordination and efficiency were like art itself. The wolves never did stand a chance against them.


    Although they had effortlessly defeated the wolves, there was something that was out of their expectations too. Lana had only planned to use one mid-ranked magic, but she ended up using two in order to deal with the miasmatic apparitions.


    All in all, it went well.


    Lana went to Edward and family and canceled the protection.


    "It is dangerous in the forest. There should be other corrupted beasts other than the wolves. You should follow us," she said after a pause.


    "Wait, Lana are you serious? It''s easy for us to defend ourselves, but being chaperones makes it difficult," Greysen rejected her suggestion.


    "Greysen, we can''t leave them here. We should at least lead them out of the forest," Cenric said.


    Greysen''s mouth straightened. He did not like the suggestion, but there were no other options. Cenric was their leader after all.


    "Hold, you''re injured. Let me have a look at it," Lana gestured towards Edward''s arm.


    She rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and examined the wound. Three large gashes extended along his arm. The blood in the wound was turning black. There were also black tendrils extending from the wound along his blood vessels.


    Elise gasped.


    "Why is it black?" she asked, shocked.


    "It''s called corruption. The corruption spreads when you are wounded by a corrupted beast. You can also get corrupted if you''re exposed to the miasma for too long. Fortunately, the corruption can be cured with simple healing magic," Lana explained.


    She downplayed the severity of corruption. Lana did not mention that corruption can only be cured with magic. If left alone, the corruption will spread and eventually claim the life of the person.


    Edward grimaced in pain. He could feel the tendrils growing and extending along his blood vessels.


    Once again, Lana cast healing magic to heal the wound. The wound was cured in several seconds.


    *****


    Edward and group trudged through the forest under the protection of the knights. They were grateful and felt a lot safer compared to before. Yu was still unconscious and was carried by Edward over his shoulders.


    They walked for tens of minutes and stumbled upon several mutilated bodies. They were the bodies of the villagers that fled before them.


    "No!" Elise exclaimed and ran towards the bodies. She went to each of them and checked for any signs of life. Alas, they were all dead.


    Soft moaning came from behind a tree.


    Hearing that, Elise''s hope was renewed and she rushed towards the sound. As she turned around the tree, she saw a woman hugging a small body. She recognized the woman immediately.


    "Aunt Lynn!" she called out and shook her.


    Aunt Lynn fell onto the ground lifelessly. The small body rolled from her dead embrace. It was a little girl with dark brown hair. Her body was stained with blood.


    A few bloody holes in the shape of teeth punctured the side of her left chest. Her face was as white as sheet. Most importantly, she was alive!


    "Isla!" Elise carried the girl in her arms. She turned towards the Lana.


    "C-could you please¡­?" she stammered.


    Lana knelt down beside Elise and examined the little girl. She tore open Isla''s tunic and exposed her white chest. She furrowed her eyebrows.


    Black tendrils extended from the teeth marks. They looked like wriggly lines that were tangled and overlapped each other. They extended to her abdomen and towards the center of her chest.


    Lana extended her magical energy to examine the insides of the little girl. The corruption had reached her heart. She shook her head reluctantly. They were too late.


    Elise saw Lana shaking her head and pleaded further.


    "It''s the corruption¡­ Can''t you help her like how you helped my father?"


    "We''re too late. The corruption has spread to her heart. If she had been bitten on another part¡­" Lana''s voice trailed off.


    "Can''t you cure the corruption from the heart?" Elise pleaded.


    "The heart is the trickiest part to remove the corruption. I''m afraid she would die before I cleanse it," Lana shook her head.


    Elise looked at Lana wide-eyed, crestfallen. Then, she felt a sudden movement in her arms.


    Isla''s body jerked and her eyes snapped open. She gasped and screamed in agony. Her body spasmed as if she was having a seizure.


    "Isla! Isla, what''s happening?" Elise panicked.


    The black tendrils spread further under her skin. While doing so, immense pain invaded Isla''s blood vessels, like searing hot iron. Her muscles twitched and spasmed uncontrollably. She gagged and gasped for air. Her eyes rolled back in her eyes, exposing the white. Black blood flowed from her wounds.


    "Isla!" Elise could only try to console the dying girl and hugged her tightly.


    The others could only look on helplessly. Lana felt her heartache. Gino clenched his fists and looked away. Edward''s eyelids dropped as he looked at the ground.


    Cenric sighed sadly. Greysen stood expressionlessly. Nobody could guess his thoughts. He gripped the hilt of his sword, as if he wanted to end the life of the suffering girl swiftly. For some reason, he refrained from doing so.


    Isla continued spasming for a few more minutes that felt like an eternity. She gagged coughed as black blood flowed from her mouth. This was accompanied by intermittent agonized screams.


    Her body gradually stopped spasming. The twitching slowed down to erratic rhythms. Her body went limp. Final agonal gaspings indicated the twilight of her life. She was finally still.


    Elise hugged the now dead Isla tightly to her chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed and cried muffled wails. She cried her heart out. All the sadness and misery from her ordeal tightened her chest. Sadly, all her cries could not untangle the tightness, no matter how hard she cried.

 011 The Question

    Dreams roiled in Yu''s sleep. The events of the day replayed in his mind. The fear, anxiety, and adrenaline of the event that propelled him to take action. The sounds of screams and the scent of blood that struck something deep within his heart. They jumped from one point of the memory to another.


    Suddenly, the dream sequence jumped to another scene.


    It was white. The lands stretched for miles without the end in sight. Yu was stunned by the purity of the landscape. He turned around. Towering mountains stood in a distance. The snow covered their blueish rocky peaks. Glaciers hugged their sides and merged with the land below.


    Yu heard the sound of crunching snow. He turned towards the sound and saw a little girl trudging through the snow. She was wearing thick, fur-lined clothes with a warm hat that fit snugly on her head. Her long, straight hair flowed down to her waist. It was loosely held by a scarf that wrapped several loops around her neck.


    She did not seem to notice Yu and continued on with her journey. Deep longing arose from the depths of his heart when he saw her. His hand reached out to her, but he was stuck in his spot. He wanted to call out to her and see her face, but he could not vocalize any sound.


    The little girl walked farther and farther away from him. Soon, her small body became smaller the farther she went. Suddenly, she stopped, paused, and turned. Their eyes met each other. A chilling breeze blew across the landscape.


    Her lime-blonde hair danced like ribbons in the wind. Her violet eyes twinkled mischievously in contrast to her pale ivory skin. They squinted as she gave the most dazzling smile possible. Her cherry lips mouthed two words that were snatched away by the wind.


    She waved cheerily and turned as if saying goodbye.


    "Wait!" Yu tried to stop her but to no avail. She eventually disappeared into the horizon.


    *****


    Yu''s eyes snapped open. Darkness greeted him. Burning embers crackled amidst its glow. A rough sheet covered him.


    "Awake?" A gruff but gentle voice sounded.


    Yu turned and saw Edward''s weathered face shrouded in darkness. He sat up without difficulty.


    ''Wait, wasn''t my back slashed open?'' he suddenly realized. He twisted and groped his back. His skin was smooth and he felt the muscles under his skin.


    "You were healed by that lady mage over there," Edward pointed to Lana that was fast asleep as he handed a drink to Yu.


    "Mage? Magic?" Yu asked, puzzled.


    "Yeah."


    For some reason, Yu did not feel the same amazement that Elise felt when she first saw the magic performed on him. It was as if he already knew the effects of magic. However, Yu did not catch this detail. It was natural to him.


    Edward was slightly surprised when Yu did not react much when he mentioned magic. To note, magic was not common among the masses.


    Yu accepted the drink and looked around. They were still in the forest. He saw Elise and Gino sleeping next to him. Elise was curled up like a sleeping cat. Her cheeks were damp from her tears.


    He was relieved when he saw Edward and his children safe. They had helped him the most compared to the other villagers and he felt a certain bond with them.


    Yu looked towards the three strangers on the other side of the embers. The mage, Lana and the man who had wanted to kill him were fast asleep. The third man was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed.


    "They are knights from the Institution of White Knights. The one leaning against the tree is Cenric Hayden, the leader of this group. He has a high perception," Edward explained while slipping in a slight warning.


    Yu looked at the knights. He noted Edward''s warning and looked at Cenric. The knight was seemingly resting, but Yu knew that he was awake and that he was listening to them. Edward''s subtle warning indicated that Yu should be wary of his own words.


    All these thoughts came naturally to Yu. It could be because of the actions of the muscular knight from before. Greysen had acted on his suspicions immediately before confirming Yu''s identity. This made Yu feel cautious around the knights. Therefore, he did not trust them willingly.


    Yu looked at Edward with a questioning gaze. He wanted to know what happened when he was unconscious.


    Edward explained the events that happened. He made sure to inform Yu about the little lie that he had told the knights. Yu was surprised but immediately regained his composure. However, he was touched as Edward was willing to go to such lengths to protect him. His heart felt warm.


    "I don''t know how to repay you for all you''ve done for me," Yu let his thoughts slip and said softly.


    "What are you talking about? You''re my son," Edward placed his hand over Yu''s shoulders and clasped the latter''s arm. He gave a firm squeeze and grinned.


    Yu felt a lump in his throat and his eyes turned slightly red. He blinked a few times and gripped Edward''s hand in return. His eyes were covered by his long bangs as he looked downwards.


    He also thought about all the dead villagers. The death of little Isla and the way she died saddened him, but he was not affected much by it. Yu though about his reactions towards the event. He felt apathetic toward the other villagers. Inversely, he felt a strong desire to help and protect Edward and his family. This could just be him feeling indebted to Edward and this feeling extended to Edward''s children.


    "What''s next?" Yu asked after he suppressed his turbulent emotions.


    "I''m not too sure yet. The events yesterday was hectic. Everyone needed time to process what happened, especially Elise. Cenric told me that he will discuss with us tomorrow when we have rested enough,"


    Yu nodded. Suddenly, he remembered the little girl from his dream. He almost talked to Edward about it when he stopped himself.


    ''This isn''t the right time to talk about it. The knights think that I''m Edward''s son. They can''t know that I''ve lost my memories,'' he thought as he bit his lip.


    "You should sleep. There are a few more hours before dawn. Tomorrow will be another day of traveling," Edward advised.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Yu could only bury his question and wait for a better chance to ask Edward. He laid down and closed his eyes. Sleep came almost immediately.


    *****


    Dawn came in the mist-shrouded forest. The chilly morning would have been the best condition for one to sleep in. However, the group of humans was in a forest with potential perils. They freshened up and had a few bites of dry rations for breakfast.


    Elise sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her chin rested on her knees as she was in deep thought. She was not her usual cheerful self.


    Yu saw the brooding Elise and was reminded of himself. Was he not the same a few days ago? After the wolf attack, he felt that he could not continue brooding. Survival was more important. He would think about his memory loss after he got out this forest into a safe place.


    He recalled Elise making the effort to keep him company and comfort him. He sighed and made his way to Elise.


    "You should eat something," Yu said as he handed her some dry food.


    Elise did not respond to him but gripped her shins tighter.


    "Everyone''s dead," she said softly.


    "No. Father and Gino is still here," Yu comforted Elise. He called Edward father to keep up appearances.


    Elise raised her head and looked at Yu. Her cheeks were stained with tears. Her eyes were slightly puffy from crying all night. She saw his blood-stained pants and held the edge of his shirt with her fingers.


    "You almost died too," she whispered.


    "Yes, but I''m still here. We''re all still here."


    Elise looked up to his face. She saw the same unfathomably deep dark eyes she saw on the day before. The same strange calmness washed over her. She still had the same puffy eyes, but it was clear as still lake.


    Her chest heaved as she took a few deep breaths. Determination burned in her eyes.


    "I don''t anyone else to die. Not ever again."


    Yu nodded at her determination and smiled gently.


    "Alright, it seems that everyone had somewhat recovered from yesterday''s ordeal," Cenric addressed the group.


    "Hold on, before we go further, there''s something that I what to make sure," Greysen interrupted.


    "What is it?" Lana asked, clearly annoyed.


    Greysen pointed towards Yu, shifted his finger towards Edward and said, "I still don''t believe that this boy is the son of that man."


    Yu tensed. What was this towering musclehead up to? He gulped nervously.


    "Why are you still insisting on this?" Lana clenched her fists.


    "I had compromised with you yesterday. You said that it won''t be too late to heal the boy before questioning him. Well, he is now healed," Greysen spread his arms before he continued.


    "I say, let''s make sure that he''s not a spy No harm in doing that right?."


    Lana frowned but remained silent. There was no reason to refuse Greysen''s request. He was not being unreasonable.


    "Boss?" Greysen asked Cenric.


    "I see no reason not to."


    Although Greysen was unreasonable in his methods the previous day, he had reason to be wary of spies. It was common for Farling to spy on their neighbor in the North. The two countries were not at war, but their relationship was strained due to previous skirmishes. On the surface, the two countries were in a truce to protect their economy, but both sides were looking for loopholes to exploit the other for their own benefit.


    However, Greysen missed a crucial point. Spies were not easy to spot. They were meant to be hidden to commit espionage. At least, they would not be so brazen to leave their hair red. Nevertheless, the tense relations between both countries extended to their soldiers. This made Greysen and the knights over suspicious.


    A glint flashed in Greysen''s eyes as he thought of an idea to test the credibility of Edward''s story. He pointed at Elise.


    "You. Girl, come over here. I have a question for you."


    Elise looked at her father before looking back at Greysen. She looked at her father again.


    Edward nodded.


    Elise walked towards Greysen cautiously. She bit her lip and her head was slightly lowered. When she got about five feet from Greysen, she stopped and inched forward with tiny steps.


    "Girl, am I that scary to you?"


    Elise saw the ferocious man in front of her and was reminded of the large sword slashing down towards her. She paled considerably. However, she bit her lip and took larger steps instead.


    "Come closer," Greysen beckoned.


    When Elise was close enough, he whispered a few words. Elise was surprised but appeared to think hard about something. She blinked a few times before she whispered something back in return. Their whispered conversation went back and forth. During that time, Elise glanced several times at Yu.


    When they were done, Elise looked at Yu hopefully. Greysen grinned triumphantly as if he had gotten something precious. Yu looked at Elise and gulped. He hoped that he could pass Greysen''s test.


    "Boy, if you grew up together with them, you should know this," Greysen said.


    "Tell me about the only time when Gino won the argument against Elise."


    Figurative bells rang in Yu''s head.


    ''I see, so that''s how it is,'' Yu thought. He smiled in his heart.


    Yu blinked in response and looked up. He pretended to search for his memories.


    "Gino and Elise always argue with each other, how am I going to remember the exact one?"


    "Oh? Are you trying to evade the question now? It''s ''the only'' time that Gino won."


    Yu furrowed his eyebrows and pretended to look frustrated. He gazed at the forest floor for a few moments.


    "Is it the time when Gino was successful in making the poultice?"


    "No, you''re wrong. Hah, I knew it. Your story was a lie!" Greysen gripped his greatsword.


    Elise looked at Yu anxiously. She did not expect Yu to answer the question incorrectly.


    "Hold, Greysen. Give him a chance. The event was many years back," Cenric stopped Greysen. He heard about the story that Elise had whispered to Greysen previously with his enhanced perception.


    Greysen loosened his grip on his sword. His mouth twitched.


    Yu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his act was still in play. Once again, he thought hard.


    "Was¡­ was it during the time when we were at the river behind our house? Gino was ten while Elise was eight. We caught a large Golden Scale and argued about the best way to cook the fish," Yu started the story.


    He saw the recognition in Greysen''s eyes and continued.


    "Gino suggested that we should coat it with ale and fry it. Elise said that it was a waste of ale. In the end, father agreed to Gino''s suggestion."


    Greysen nodded his head and pondered.


    ''Great, I''ve answered his question in a believable fashion. There should be no problems,'' Yu exhaled.


    Suddenly, Greysen raised his head and asked, "You didn''t mention your age. How old were you at the time?"


    Yu froze. He would not know the answer. He was not there. His mind was spinning. What number should he say? What if the number that he said was different from what Elise said?


    ''There''s no time to think! I have to pick a number!'' Yu screamed in his mind.


    "I was nine," Yu said the number that first appeared in his head.


    "Really? I thought you were eleven?" Greysen asked slyly.


    ''Damn you!'' Yu cursed inside and gritted his teeth.


    "Really. I was nine," Yu said, his face showing no emotion.


    He decided to stick to his initial answer. Cold sweat soaked his back.


    "Are you really sure? If you admit that you''re a spy, I will spare your life," Greysen said as he set his verbal trap.


    Yu nodded confidently.


    Greysen stared at Yu for a few more seconds. He was trying to intimidate Yu into giving the wrong answer. Yu stared back at him. The staredown continued for ten long seconds before Greysen relented.


    "Alright, I believe you now. Damn, intermarriage between an Arbeannean and a Farling," he tutted.


    Yu exhaled in relief. His luck had held up somehow.


    Elise beamed at Yu. They shared an unspoken victorious moment with each other.


    "Right, now that''s out of the way, let''s talk about our next steps," Cenric said.


    Now that the suspicion of a spy had been resolved, the knights explained their mission to the Edward and group. They were sent to the forest on a mission to search for the source of corruption. Escorting villagers was not their main priority and could disrupt their mission.


    However, leaving villagers to fend for themselves was not an option. The forest had its perils, especially from the corrupted beasts. They could travel across the prairie but might get attacked by bandits.


    Hence, the villagers had two choices: One was to tag along with the knights to look for the source of corruption. The knights could not guarantee their safety and will focus on their mission. The other was for the villagers to try to reach the nearest town via prairie. However, they were prone to bandit attacks and possible beast attacks.


    Hearing the word bandits, Elise shivered. She would rather follow the knights than meet the bandits again. The teenagers looked at Edward and waited for his input.


    Edward weighed the options.


    "I think that we should follow the knights. Even though it might be more dangerous, the chances of surviving are higher," Edward chuckled dryly.


    Yu agreed. He felt that it was a better option to follow the knights.


    Elise and Gino nodded their heads at their father''s suggestion.


    "I see that we''ve come to a decision. Alright, let''s go," Cenric said.


    The group broke camp and geared up for the long trek in the forest.

 012 We Are Not Cannibals

    Birds chirped high up in the trees. Their songs echoed through the forest in a steady rhythm. Often times, the chirping would move from one side of the forest to the another. It was like the birds were having conversations amongst themselves.


    Down near the forest floor, a group of humans moved steadily amidst the trees. They were originally near the outer areas of the forest, but they were intentionally moving deeper into the forest at this moment.


    Foliage rustled as the humans brushed past them. Critters skittered away from the feet that came trudging down. An ant that had failed to escape in time wriggled helplessly in an impression on the forest floor that was made by a heavy foot.


    The forest lived and breathed the way it had for centuries, oblivious to the events that marked the lives of the young humans in the group. This day was like any other to the inhabitants of the forest that were unaffected by the strange energy that permeated the air.


    However, to the forest inhabitants that were affected by the energy, life was quite different from normal. Unlike the corrupted wolves, they were lurking deeper in the forest-- nearer to the source of the strange energy.


    The knights were tasked with the mission to locate the source of the energy. Thus, they ventured deeper into the forest following the faint trail of energy emitted by the source.


    The humans were silent, contrary to the birds that were cheerfully chirping amongst themselves above. Cenric was at the lead of the group. He would walk for a few moments before stopping. It seemed as if he was listening to the air. In fact, he was actively using his skill called {Threads of Air}.


    As the name implied, the skill was an Air Element based skill. His magic energy would spread out to his surroundings like suspended threads in the air. Unique energy fluctuations emitted by different objects will be caught in his web of magical energy threads. By isolating the intended energy, he was able to track the strange energy of interest.


    Yu observed the knights during their trek. Whenever Cenric used his skill, the emblem on his sword would glow faintly despite not visible to others since the sword was still in its sheath.


    Although Yu could not see the glow, he felt his skin tingling when {Threads of Air} activated. He also felt that something deep in his mind stirred when magical energy was emitted from Cenric. It was as if an ancient dragon was tossing and turning in its deep slumber, unable to wake up.


    Yu was intrigued by the way his body reacted. The familiarity between his body and magic was uncanny under the pretense of not remembering anything about magic. He wondered if he was well-versed in magic before losing his memories.


    ''If so, how can I use magic?'' he pondered.


    Yu also thought about the time when he fought the corrupted wolf. His body had moved on its own. Elise had also mentioned to him that he moved so quickly that she could barely see his movements. He tried to recall the feeling he had when he faced the wolf.


    It was calmness.


    Although his situation was not the best at the time, he calmly analyzed the situation and quickly had a plan formed in his mind. He executed it systematically. Even though the situation did not exactly turn out as planned, he reacted accordingly. Paired with his higher than average reflexes, he managed to kill the wolves without suffering any injuries, albeit from exhaustion.


    ''Right, Edward said that I was trained in the sword,'' Yu thought as he glanced at the arming sword by Cenric''s waist.


    Yu wondered if he should discuss what he learned with Edward. The latter seemed to be very knowledgeable about such things. However, he also felt an inexplicable urge to keep his discoveries to himself. He could not reason out such urge and frowned.


    "What''s the matter?" Elise whispered when she saw him frowning.


    Yu shook his head, dispelling Elise''s question.


    Elise''s lips formed a straight line at Yu''s response. He was back to his mute self again. She sighed.


    ''I should have gotten used to it by now,'' she thought.


    Yu was silent for most of the time, except for when he was forced to speak. Another was when the situation required him to speak. Unfortunately, she did not know that Yu was mostly talking to himself internally. His mental voice was so loud that he did not realize that he had just shaken his head without uttering a word.


    "There are several beasts up front," Cenric said suddenly.


    Everyone''s attention snapped towards Cenric.


    "Are they corrupted beasts?" Lana asked.


    "No. Doesn''t seem like it. They are not emitting that strange energy," Cenric explained.


    The other knights relaxed a little when they heard Cenric.


    He was silents for a moment while he decided on something.


    "We''ll go ahead and lure the beasts away from our route. All of you stay here and try not to attract attention to yourselves," Cenric informed Edward and his children.


    They nodded and could only comply with the instructions of the knights. The three knights soon disappeared into the sea of trees. Only Edward, Elise, Gino, and Yu were left.


    "Well, back to just us, huh?" Gino muttered.


    The incident from the day before was still fresh in his mind. Even though the knights had saved them from the wolves, he still felt distrust towards them. It was mostly because of the overly prideful aura exuded by the knights. It was as if they were above the world and that their actions were only right and never wrong.


    This struck a bad chord in Gino''s heart.


    The group was silent again. They needed the protection of the knights no matter how much they disliked them. The absence of the knights made them worry a little. The forest seemed peaceful, but danger was around the corner. One small misstep could be the end of a peaceful day.


    "Edward, is green hair common?" Yu broke the silence.


    "Green hair?" Edward asked again, hoping he heard it wrong.


    Yu nodded.


    Edward frowned as he tried to scour his memories for instances of people with green hair.


    "Well¡­ not to my knowledge. No, green hair is not common. I''d say that it''s impossible, but the world is vast and filled with strange things, so it might be possible," Edward mused aloud.


    "Why would you ask so?"


    Yu opened and closed his mouth a few times to organize his thoughts before answering.


    "I dreamt about a girl with lime-blonde hair last night. Could she¡­ could she be someone I know from my past?"


    "Hmm, dreams are usually the product of one''s experiences unless that person is a seer. There''s a good chance that you''ve seen that girl before," Edward nodded and explained.


    "If it was another color, I would think that her hair was dyed. However, green is an unusual color for dye."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "She also has violet eyes," Yu interrupted softly.


    "That''s a peculiar girl you''ve seen."


    Edward''s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. However, when he saw the seriousness in Yu''s face, he was inclined to believe the teenager. There was no reason for the teen to lie. Edward decided to ask further.


    "What else did you see in your dream?"


    "A snowy plain that stretched to no end on one side. Towering snow-capped mountains blocked the other."


    "Snow, I see. It must be up North for the snow to cover an entire plain. We don''t get snow here. It gets cold during winters but not cold enough for snow to fall," Edward said earnestly.


    Yu nodded as he absorbed information from Edward.


    "That''s great, Yu! Your memories are coming back!" Elise said cheerfully.


    Yu, however, did not respond. He was lost in his thoughts.


    ''Snow means North but Farling is far South. Was Edward right after all? I''m a mix between two races and was born and raised in Arbeanne? There''s the strange girl as well. But¡­ she felt so real, like an actual person.''


    "So¡­ you''re saying that I''m from the North," Yu said after digesting his thoughts.


    "Well, it only means that you''ve seen that place in your life. You could be from somewhere else. However, the snowy plains should be something important to you. That girl as well."


    Yu nodded as he understood. He then wanted to ask Edward about the strange feeling he got when Cenric used magic. However, he stopped himself before he could ask. He wondered if Edward was the right person to ask. The irrational distrust arose in his heart again. He could not understand the reason that he was unwilling to share his observations about magic.


    Elise took over the conversation into an unexpected turn.


    "Father, do you know anything about magic? Do you think if I can learn magic?" she asked eagerly.


    Edward sighed. His face looked pained when he heard the word magic.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t teach you magic."


    Yu''s ears perked up when he heard the way in which Edward answered the question.


    Edward did not really answer Elise''s question properly. He neither admitted nor denied his knowledge about magic. In addition, his next answer implied that he knew magic but could not teach Elise.


    This, however, passed Elise''s ears unnoticed. She thought that her father did not have knowledge about magic.


    "But Father, can I learn magic?" she pleaded.


    "You''ll have to ask Miss Lana about that when she returns," Edward chuckled.


    "Okay!" Elise cheered.


    The knights eventually returned from their mini-excursion. It looked as if they only went for a stroll instead of luring ferocious beasts away. There was not even a trace of tiredness on their faces.


    Greysen even had a bored expression on his face. He who got worked up the most during the fight against the wolves wore a bored and sleepy expression at the moment.


    Lana was upbeat as usual. Her white cloak did not seem to be able to collect dirt. One could only wonder how it worked. Cenric still wore his stoic expression and nodded to the villagers.


    "It''s done. Let''s go."


    The group continued their journey without any further incidents. As they entered deeper into the forest, the tingling sensations on his skin and the uneasiness at the back of his mind increased. The vegetation on the forest floor increased as well. It became increasingly harder to move forwards without hacking the dense foliage.


    The plants in the inner areas of the forest were also very much different from those in the outer areas. They looked more menacing with their sharp thorns and rough barks. Some plants had a slimy exterior that was poisonous to the skin. The light that entered the forest in this area was significantly less.


    Occasionally, they heard strange hooting and clicking noises. For some reason, they also felt that they were being watched.


    "We''ve entered the edge of the inner forest," Cenric announced.


    The sun had not set yet but the forest was already dark. The group decided that they should stop for the day. Venturing into the inner forest in the dark can only bring misfortune. After securing a good camping spot, they prepared to retire for the day.


    *****


    Deep in the Ulfvidr Forest, a small makeshift dwelling made of chopped trees stood at the edge of a bog. Foul smells from the bog wafted in the air and permeated the dwelling. The life around the bog was wilted and dyed black. It was the complete opposite of the outer forest that was teeming with vibrant life.


    Darkness save for the dim light from an oil lamp lit shrouded the inside of the dwelling. It was silent except for some shallow breathing. Sometimes, one can hear the dry sounds of fingernails scraping against wood.


    Anguished moans punctuated the silence. The pungent stench of bodily fluids and excrement hung in the air.


    The bodies in the cramped wooden cages huddled against each other. They shivered for the lack of clothing covering their skin. Their listless eyes stared into the darkness, avoiding one particular spot.


    Naked bodies were hung upside down from their feet. No matter women, children, nor men, they were treated the same. They were all hung upside down, their necks slashed and their blood drained. It was a cold process. Humans were treated as livestock and slaughtered for their blood.


    Blood stained the floors of the room. The distinct iron-like smell of the blood mixed with the foul smell from the filthy humans was strong enough for a normal person to empty the contents of their stomach and faint.


    Jangling sounds from a bunch of keys sounded from behind the door of the room. Cheery humming accompanied the clicking of the locks. The door creaked and slammed against the wall.


    "Oops. That was loud. Hahahah!" A nasal voice laughed.


    Footsteps entered the room. Sounds of splashing liquid were heard.


    "Ahh, I made a mistake! So much blood down into the drains. I wasted a whole child!" the man lamented as he prodded a small body.


    He had misplaced the blood collecting bucket. The blood, instead of dripping into the bucket, dripped all over the floor instead.


    "Well, I guess it''s not that bad since it''s only a child. Master will punish me if I wasted more blood," he muttered and cursed under his breath.


    He checked all the other bodies and made sure that they were drained dry. After making the confirmations, he untied the bodies one by one and lugged them outside the dwelling and into the bog. He watched with pity as the bodies sank.


    ''This always gets me. Why can''t we eat the flesh? I don''t understand Master¡­ such a waste of good meat,'' he thought as he scratched his head and recalled his master''s words.


    "We aren''t cannibals, Jop. We are humans, of course, we can''t eat human flesh."


    Jop furrowed his eyebrows. He still could not understand his master''s words.


    ''What''s with being human and not eating humans? Aren''t they meat?''


    Jop shook his head to clear it from useless thoughts and continued his job for the day. He reentered the dwelling and cleaned the floor from the blood. Then, he went to a barrel and scooped out several bowls of thick gunky liquid.


    After fumbling through the set of keys with his stubby fingers, Jop finally found the key that he was looking for. He unlocked the wooden cage with his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth.


    The listless humans did not seem to notice his presence. Their listless eyes were glazed over. This was the effects of being ''broken'' by his master. Jop had no idea what his master did to them. He just needed to complete his job.


    He randomly picked a few humans and dragged them out of the cage. They did not even try to resist. Jop sat them down and poured the gunk into their throats. They choked and gagged but eventually swallowed most of the liquid. The rest flowed down their chests.


    The thick liquid was a concoction that thinned blood and prevented blood from clotting. It makes the process of draining their blood much easier.


    Jop was huffing and puffing as he hauled the bodies up using a pulley when he heard his master return.


    "Lord Dargon, the preparations are underway. You can check if you wish," Jop''s master said.


    Dargon scrunched his nose. The stench from the room at the back was overpowering.


    "There''s no need, Fulton. I was here for another business and happened to stop by," Dargon replied.


    "I see, my lord. May this lowly one be honored enough to inquire about the business? Perhaps, this one may be of help," Fulton bowed deeply as he asked.


    Dargon gnashed his teeth when he thought about the incident.


    That sneaky boy tricked him and escaped. After that, the boy somehow managed to conceal his bloodline from him. Dargon could not locate the boy since. Fury rose within the Zetearoph.


    Fulton, sensing the fury from his Lord, bowed even further and kept his silence. He could only wait for his lord''s fury to dissipate.


    Dargon''s temper eventually subsided. There was no use being furious about the past that he could not change. He glanced to a bloodied body on the side and smirked. He believed that someone as sentimental as Yu will surely come back for his dead master.


    Dargon formulated a trap in his mind for the time when Yu will come for his master. He felt much better at the thought.


    Fulton sneaked a peek at his silent lord. What he saw shocked him.


    "M-my Lord! Your face!"


    The skin on Dargon''s cheek was peeling off, exposing red muscle. The muscles systematically sagged, exposing the ivory bone underneath. Wisps of vapor fizzed as they were exposed to the air.


    Dargon touched his face gingerly. The fleshed crumbled even further. The flesh on his fingertips crumbled too. Only a stump in place of his hand was left.


    "Ah, this vessel is useless. I can''t even last long in it," Dargon lamented.


    "My Lord, I doubt any normal human vessel would be able to withstand your unlimited powers."


    Dargon clicked his tongue and shook his head.


    "Such is the fate of Zetearophs. Without vessels, we can''t even survive without the Crimson Gloom."


    Fulton looked up to Dargon, his eyes filled with fanatic determination.


    "My Lord, leave it to us. We will open up more rifts to bring the light of the abyss onto our world!"


    Dargon looked at this fervent human and sighed with satisfaction.


    "I''ll leave it to you then."


    "Yes, my Lord!" Fulton bowed deeply.


    Dargon nodded and left in a flash. He needed to return to an area with the Crimson Gloom in order to survive. Of course, he did not forget Yu''s dead master.


    After Dargon left, Fulton barked to Jop.


    "Jop! How much blood have you collected?"


    Jop''s nasally voice sounded from behind the closed door.


    "Uh¡­ uhm¡­ about 27 humans'' worth?"


    "That''s not even close! Step on it!"


    "Y-yes!" came a flustered reply.


    Fulton exhaled and reached into the pocket of his robe and took out an old scroll. The words were faded but were still legible. A circular pattern with intricate runes on its edges was drawn in red on the parchment. Below it, words from the Old Language detailed the workings of the spell.


    Fulton grinned and started to familiarize himself with the spell.

 013 Towards the Strange Energy Source

    Flames of a small fire crackled in the middle of the camp. The knights and the villagers had just finished their dinner and were getting ready to rest.


    There was a question in Yu''s mind, but he did not mention it to the knights. He was thinking about it when Elise asked the question in his stead.


    "Sister Lana, I notice that the food we ate just now was rather scrumptious. The portion was also¡­ I would say that you were not rationing it despite the increase in numbers in this group. Is it okay for us to eat this way? Won''t the food be finished faster?"


    Lana chuckled at Elise''s thoughtful question. At the same time, she felt warmth from her heart.


    "Don''t worry, Elise dear. We have enough food for all of us."


    "Really? I don''t see you carrying much food."


    Lana smiled and gestured to a bag on the ground beside her.


    "I have extra food in here. They are used for when our regular food supplies have depleted."


    Elise widened her eyes, her mouth slightly agape. She blinked a few times, trying to picture the food inside the bag. She looked back up to Lana, confused.


    "But¡­ the bag is so small¡­"


    Lana chuckled once more and picked the bag up and held it in front of Elise. She leaned forward and whispered to Elise as if promoting a shady item.


    "This bag is more than it looks. It can store quite a lot of items despite its size," Lana winked.


    "Really?"


    Elise took the bag and flipped open its flap. She was confused further. The insides of the bag were pitch black. Yu and Gino could not help themselves but peer over into the bag as well. They were equally confused.


    Lana laughed at their expression and explained the functions of the bag.


    "This bag was specially made by my friends. Dimension and temporal magic were cast on this bag."


    "Dimension and temporal magic? What are those?" Elise asked, her curiosity piqued when she heard Lana mentioning magic.


    Lana thought for a few moments for the best way to explain the magic before answering Elise.


    "Dimension element and temporal element are two of the many types of elemental magic. Every type of element has its own special effects. For example, dimension element affects space, while temporal magic affects time."


    Lana wet her dry lips before she continued.


    "For this bag, dimension magic was used to distort the space in it. Then, temporal magic ensures the freshness of the food. This means that I can store food in amounts exceeding what we usually need for our journey. It is for emergencies and unexpected situations as these."


    "Wow, that''s amazing!" Elise exclaimed. She then put her hand into the bag, trying to feel the items inside. However, she only felt empty space.


    Seeing this, Lana smiled at Elise''s actions. The teen was truly curious about the workings of magic. Lana took the bag from Elise to demonstrate the use of the bag.


    "You need magic energy to use it."


    Lana grinned and pulled out some smoked meat with a flourish. It looked similar to performers pulling a rabbit out from a hat, except that this was no trick. It was real magic.


    Exclamations arose in the camp. Elise reached out to touch the smoked meat as if to confirm that it was real. Gino watched with his mouth agape. His face looked silly.


    Yu just looked at the bag with a serious expression. He felt the same tingling sensation on his skin. It seemed that he experienced the same feeling whenever magic was used. However, he did not know what to make of the strange feeling that he had. It was unsettling.


    "Wow! Can you teach me? Oh, and what about the magic that you use? Is it the light element? It was so pretty!" Elise said, her hands clasping the smoked meat tightly.


    Lana hesitated and looked over to Cenric. He nodded his head with an indifferent expression. Seeing that, Lana brightened immediately.


    "Girl, do you think magic can be learned just like that? If it was, I would be a mage by now!" Greysen said as he waved his hands.


    Elise pursed her lips when she heard that. However, instead of feeling dejected, determination burned in her eyes.


    "I still want to learn it."


    Edward, who was silent all this while, smiled longingly with pride when he saw Elise.


    ''She''s growing to become more and more like her mother.''


    Lana was impressed by Elise''s determination. She had never seen someone so enthusiastic about magic before. The mages she knew mostly learned magic because of family circumstances and due to the sense of duty. Others learned it for the prestige. Elise seemed to want to learn magic for the sake of learning.


    She looked at the curious faces of the teens and smiled. People always had the same expressions when they hear about magic for the first time. Lana invited them to listen to her mini-lecture about magic.


    "All of you listen too. It''s good to have knowledge of magic, lest you meet an opposing mage. Feel free to interrupt me when you have questions."


    "Well, to start, there are many types of magic; elemental magic is only one of them. It is the easiest type of magic to learn. Elemental mages borrow the strengths of deities for their magic. For instance, light mages like me borrow the powers of Ytrea, the deity of light. This means that we need to have faith in the deity of the element that we are using."


    Elise nodded at the lengthy introduction and thought for a bit before asking.


    "Does this means that I''ll be able to use light magic since I''m in the faith of Ytrea?"


    "Not necessarily. Having faith is just one part. You need to have an affinity with the light element. Different people have different affinities. However, most of Arbeanneans have an affinity towards light. Besides, you need to have sufficient magic energy reserves."


    "Magic energy?" Elise asked.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Yes, every human has magic energy in their bodies. The only difference is the density and purity. The denser and purer your magic energy, the stronger and more numerous the magic you can cast."


    "The most basic exercise for a beginner mage is to feel magic energy; to feel it within yourselves and in the surroundings. Magic energy feels something like vibrations in the air. Sometimes it feels like tingling sensations on your skin. Stronger magic energy fluctuations can feel like a strong breeze."


    Yu sat up in attention at Lana''s last sentence.


    ''Magic energy fluctuations? Is that what I''m feeling?'' he thought as his heart pounded in his chest. However, he was still unsure and chose not to disclose his observations to Lana. He still did not trust them very well.


    "So, if I can feel the magic energy, then I''ll be able to use magic?" Elise asked. She was very eager and could not wait to try.


    Lana chuckled at her enthusiasm.


    "It takes time to feel magic energy. That''s why learning magic is difficult."


    Gino scratched his head and said, "This sounds really complicated." He was frowning.


    "I think it''s better to use our own strengths. Like the sword!" Gino beamed.


    "You are half right. Magic, if used properly, can be very powerful. The drawbacks are that it takes time to cast and there''s a limited number of magic spells that we can cast. That''s why we have swordsmen," Lana smiled.


    "Right, let me show you a simple magic that you can cast," Lana offered.


    She brought her consciousness onto her body and felt the energy within herself. After conditioning herself, she recited the prayer of [Protection]. Light glowed and morphed into a wall of light that surrounded them.


    "This magic is called [Protection]. Like its name, it provides protection from beings with evil intentions," Lana explained as the wall of light hovered in the air. She then took a piece of parchment and wrote down the prayer with a piece of graphite.


    "Here, this is a gift for you. You can try this prayer when you have understood magic energy," Lana smiled as she gave the parchment to Elise. It was like an assignment to keep Elise busy.


    Elise accepted the parchment with excitement and gratitude. She immediately began scanning through the words written on it with gusto.


    Lana''s smile never left her face. She hoped that she had ignited a little spark that will grow into a great mage one day.


    Gino and Yu were also curious. All three of their heads were over the little piece of parchment.


    "It seems like you''ve taught your children well, Edward. All of them can read," Cenric mentioned casually.


    Hearing that, Lana''s hand flew to her mouth. She had just assumed that they knew how to read. After all, they were only villagers. She was lucky that her assumption was right.


    "Thank you, sir," Edward replied curtly. He did not converse much with the indifferent leader of the knights. The misunderstanding from a few days back was still fresh in their minds.


    "Alright children, it''s late. Time for sleep," Edward coaxed his children.


    "But father, I want to read it some more¡­" Elise pleaded.


    Edward sighed. Elise was just as stubborn as her mother.


    "You can do it tomorrow."


    Elise pouted but complied. She put the parchment carefully in the little pouch by her belt. The camp fell silent soon after.


    However, Yu could not fall asleep. He wondered about the magical fluctuations that he felt. If he could feel magic energy, he could have been a mage. However, he felt that the idea of having faith in deities did not sit quite right with him.


    After tossing and turning a few times, he finally fell asleep wondering if he will have another vivid dream.


    *****


    It was the next afternoon and the group had traveled for half a day. They advanced in a similar fashion to the day before. This time, however, Yu felt an unsettling energy in addition to the magical fluctuations emitted by Cenric.


    The energy felt stronger as they went deeper into the forest. The other knights must have felt it as well since they were more tense than usual.


    Although it was only the afternoon, the forest seemed as if it was dusk. Most sunlight was filtered by the dense canopy overhead. The forest that was originally teeming with life was instead still as if the air was stagnant. Yu felt that they were being watched by someone or something else.


    Cenric stopped the group once more. This time, he was focused-- unlike his usual indifferent self.


    "It will be dangerous from here onwards. The source of the strange energy should be nearby. We are going to scout near the energy source to see what is really happening," Cenric briefed the knights.


    Lana who had an unsettling pit forming in her stomach was reluctant to go farther.


    "Wasn''t our mission just to scout the location of the strange energy? I think we have achieved our objective."


    "Lana, aren''t you a little too uninspired? We are knights. We need to perform our duties to the best," Greysen teased Lana.


    "You''re the knight, not me. I''m a mage."


    "Well, you still work for the Institution of White Knights. So, you can be considered as such," Greysen shrugged.


    "We''re going. This energy feels very foul. We should get an idea of its nature before reporting back so that our superiors can figure out a way to deal with it," Cenric persuaded.


    Lana sighed and relented. Cenric was in charge after all. She then perked up, as if remembering something.


    "Right, all of you should stay here for the moment. We''ll go ahead and scout," Lana said to Edward and the teens.


    "Wait, can you give us some weapons to defend ourselves?" Yu asked. The unpleasant feeling was nagging at the back of his head. He felt that they should have some means of self-protection.


    "Pfft¡­ weapons? Can you even use them?" Greysen ridiculed Yu''s request.


    "¡­ I can use a knife. No, a dagger will be good, if you have one of those," Yu ignored Greysen and looked at Cenric, cold confidence present in his still grey eyes.


    Cenric paused and studied Yu. The teenager had an air of calmness around him. For a moment, he felt that he was looking at a seasoned fighter instead of a simple village boy.


    "There should be no threats in this area, but I don''t see any harm in giving you a weapon," Cenric said as he passed a dagger to Yu.


    "Thanks," Yu accepted the dagger and felt its weight in his hand. It did not feel out of place.


    Cenric noted Yu''s actions with the dagger in his mind but did not say anything.


    "Hey, what about my weapon?" Gino asked.


    "Let''s go," Cenric called to the knights, ignoring Gino after a glance.


    Lana waved and smiled at Edward and the teens. However, her nervousness still showed from under the smile.


    "Hey, hey! You''re ignoring me?" Gino called after them.


    Yu watched the knights until they were out of sight. This was the second time that they were left alone.


    "Why wouldn''t they give me a dagger as well?" Gino grumbled.


    "I think you''re better with a stick," Elise giggled and teased Gino.


    *****


    They made themselves comfortable while waiting for the knights to complete their scouting. However, the knights did not come back even after an hour. The unsettling feeling grew stronger and stronger every minute that passed.


    Yu stared at the woody lianas hanging from the branches of the trees above as they waited. His eyes followed along the length of the liana until they disappeared into the ground.


    "Why are they taking so long?" Elise asked. She peered through the trees.


    Suddenly, Yu felt the strange energy approaching. He snapped his head to its direction. The others looked at Yu with confusion at his sudden actions.


    There were a few moments of tensed silence when rustling sounds entered their ears. The foliage in front of them suddenly burst open and black figures flashed passed them.


    ''Wolves!'' Yu exclaimed as he gripped the dagger in his hand.


    "Wolves again!?" Elise screamed.


    However, it seemed that they were not the attention of the corrupted wolves this time. The pack of wolves just dashed past them. The group of humans was confused.


    "Where are they going?" Gino asked.


    "T-that''s where the knights went!" Elise gasped.


    "What do we do?" she asked aloud.


    Everyone was rooted in their position. The wolves had just ignored them. They wondered if they should move to another position or stay at their current one.


    Suddenly, a large surge of the strange energy from before erupted in the direction of the knights. Yu felt nauseous as he was hit with the wave of that energy.


    ''What''s happening?'' he thought.


    All his senses screamed to go towards the source of the energy and stop it. However, his logical mind could not understand his compulsion.


    ''Stop the energy? How? It''s impossible,'' Yu thought and shook his head to clear off the nausea.


    Then, the plants around them shook as if they were possessed. The initially still forest was now the complete opposite from before.


    The group held their vigilance and looked around for danger. Elise clutched her father''s arm and shivered. Edward held Elise''s hand in his. Still feeling insecure, Elise stepped closer to her father.


    Just then, she unknowingly stepped onto a creeping liana. She stumbled and then felt herself yanked from underneath. She fell to the ground and screamed.


    Edward, brought by Elise''s momentum fell onto the ground too. However, before he could react, Elise''s hand slipped away from his as she was dragged deeper into the forest.


    "Elise!" Edward reached out to grab his daughter but failed.


    "Father!" Elise screamed frantically but soon disappeared from sight.


    "No!!" Edward roared and chased after the disappearing Elise.


    His heart dropped as he saw Elise in trouble. He could not lose his daughter after losing his wife.


    Yu and Gino that were stunned by the sudden change of events could only chase after Edward. They prayed for Elise to be safe in their hearts.

 014 Blood Sacrifice

    Yu and chased after Edward, his heart pounding in his chest from the exertion. Gino was following not far behind. As they ran, the energy fluctuations got stronger and washed over him. He could only swallow his discomfort and continue running towards the source.


    "Elise!" Edward shouted, hoping to get a response from Elise.


    Alas, he did not hear anything from her. Edward could only grit his teeth and hope for the best. He ran until his lungs felt like bursting. Yet, he did not dare stop.


    Stray lianas were wriggling near them as they ran. The lianas snapped and slithered along as if being pulled by the energy. Suddenly, one of the lianas wrapped around Yu''s leg and yanked him from down under. He slammed hard against the ground and was stunned.


    During the few seconds that he took to recover, he was already pulled a distance away from the others. He heard the faint shouts of Edward and Gino.


    The liana moved at a dizzying speed. Yu tried shaking his legs to loosen the grip. He also tried reaching down to his legs to try and cut the liana with his dagger. Unfortunately, the pulling force was so great that he could not fight the inertia.


    He was dragged against the ground and through some bushes. Occasionally, he would bump against some tree trunks and get the wind knocked out of his lungs. The constant abrasions scraped the skin of his arms and tore some parts of his clothing.


    After being dragged for an unknown distance and being knocked around until he could see stars, Yu decided that panicking and struggling against the pull was futile. He relaxed his whole body and let it become limp. He closed his eyes and focused on the moment. Once there was a change in movement, that would be his chance.


    There was no change in movement until Yu suddenly felt that he was lifted up into the air. Only then did he open his eyes. The world around him was upside down as he hung midair. He could see many other strands of lianas wriggling all over him.


    ''This is my chance!'' Yu thought and reached up to cut the liana wrapped around his ankles. It took him a few tries to cut through the tough and flexible stem. It did not help that the liana was swinging him to and fro, causing him to lose his grip on his ankles a few times.


    Yu fell hard on his shoulder once the stem was cut through. The pain radiated through his shoulder throughout his whole arm, causing it to be numb and temporarily paralyzed. Ignoring the pain, he looked around his surroundings when a foul stench assaulted his nose.


    He was near a foul-smelling bog. A small wooden dwelling stood next to it. Strange energy was emitted from the dwelling. However, what caught Yu''s immediate attention was the innumerable lianas assaulting the knights, trying to wrap around them to pull them from underneath.


    Although the knights seemed like they were in a predicament, they were actually holding up pretty well. Greysen''s powerful slashes would obliterate numerous lianas with one swing. Cenric danced in between the striking lianas, nimbly avoiding them while dealing a few strikes himself.


    Lana who was in the middle of the two swordsmen was casting magic that occasionally stunned the lianas. There were dead bodies of the corrupted wolves around them. It seemed that the wolves were not even a challenge to them.


    The lianas were peculiar. It was as if they had their own consciousness. They would move nimbly. Sometimes, they would snake past one knight''s strike to attack the other. However, the knights'' quick reflexes were able to deal with such sneak attacks.


    The situation was chaotic but Yu had his mind on someone else. He turned around frantically, trying to scan the area for any signs of Elise. Finally, he saw her hanging upside down, unconscious. He long hair dangled and swayed with the liana.


    "Elise!" Yu shouted as loud as he could.


    He hoped that he could wake her up. Unfortunately, she did not show any signs of waking up. The liana pulled her closer to the bog. Soon, other lianas converged and wrapped around her body.


    Yu''s eyes widened and he felt alarmed. He traced the lianas with his eyes and his sight ended up at the bog. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of the eventual destination of the lianas. At the same time, he felt helpless. He could only watch as he did not know what should be done in order to free Elise.


    Just then, the lianas somehow sensed that Yu was free and approached him swiftly, unlike the first time. Yu snapped his dagger up and deftly blocked the stem. This time, he was prepared.


    The knights were alerted to Yu''s presence the moment he shouted.


    "What''s that kid doing here?" Greysen complained as he unleashed a powerful slash.


    Cenric grunted as he avoided three lianas whipping towards his direction. Although they could only defend themselves, it was not actually a stalemate. They were slowly whittling down the uncountable lianas.


    Lana looked over to Yu with concern. She saw that the boy was frantically defending himself with a measly dagger. The lianas would try to coil around him but he would jump out of their reach in the last minute. Lana was surprised at first but it didn''t last long. Yu''s stamina was quickly wearing down. He could not sustain his current pace. She wanted to help him and Elise, but even a slight lapse in concentration was dangerous.


    The lianas that wrapped around Elise tightened. The discomfort eventually roused her. She awakened feeling confused. Before she could regain her bearings, the lianas tightened further around her chest. The crushing feeling suffocated her.


    Elise panicked and started struggling in an attempt to free herself. However, the more she struggled, the more constricted she felt. The lianas were so tight around her chest that her rib cage could not even expand. She gradually felt light-headed and tried shouting for help. Unfortunately, she could only gasp for air.


    ''Father, help me¡­ Yu¡­ please...'' she pleaded in her mind as the world spun around her.


    The others were too busy with their current situation to assist Elise at the moment. While the knights and Yu were busy fending off the lianas, Fulton watched them from within the wooden dwelling. He gritted his teeth, cursing the knights who discovered this place.


    Fulton''s preparations were almost ready. He was waiting for night to fall to start reciting the spell from the ancient blood scroll. However, the knights were gradually gaining the upper hand. He looked to the sky. It was a long time before the moon rose.


    After deliberating for a moment, he decided to start the ritual earlier. It was not the ideal time for it, but it was better than their plan being foiled by the knights. The liana seemed like it will eventually be beaten.


    "Jop! Bring the babies over. We''re going to begin the sacrifice. Quick!" Fulton shouted over to Jop.


    "Y-yes!" Jop answered feebly and rushed to get the babies.


    Fulton went into the room where blood was drained from the captive humans. The stench was as overpowering as ever, but it did not faze him. He spread the old scroll over a wooden pedestal in the middle of the room and reread the incantations in his head to make sure that he got everything right.


    Numerous barrels of blood surrounded him in a circle. He hoped that the blood was enough to power the spell.


    "Master, here are the b-babies," Jop said as he carried the babies in a sack. They were wriggling and wailing from inside the sack.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Good. Set them down on the floor," Fulton said excitedly as he pulled out a knife. This was the first time that he performed such an advanced spell.


    Once the babies were laid bare on the ground, he swiftly slashed their tender necks. Soon, the wailing babies were silent. Their blood flowed onto the ground.


    Fulton picked up a stick and carved a large circle around himself. Then, he filled it with intricate patterns. Finally, he wrote runes of the Old Language along the rim of the circle. Occasionally, he would refer to the scroll to make sure that he was right.


    As Fulton was carving the magic circle into the moist soil below, blood from the babies flowed into the grooves in the ground. He felt magic energy accumulating in the magic circle. He was ecstatic that the spell was working.


    As expected, blood from babies was the best. It was magic energy in the purest form and was the perfect catalyst for the spell. The blood finally traced the patterns of the magic circle. It was time for the incantation.


    Fulton cleared his throat and wet his lips. He began reciting the spell in the Old Language.


    [Ia serub kathee, tu emens oda natream,


    Im ackut tda tu Lndang oda tu Wunia,


    tda yikt tda mya coarhn usgna tu estipi opd linw: Blrdh]


    Blood from the barrels started to float from their containers, responding to the words of power. They were attracted to the glowing red magic circle. He recited the rest of the chant.


    At the same time, the people outside the dwelling felt the magical fluctuations from inside. This attracted their attention. However, before they could do anything about it, the liana shuddered and flailed around wildly.


    They stopped their actions and watched the liana with caution. Dread filled Yu''s heart as he caught his breath. He could see Elise still within the lianas'' clutches. His mind was thinking rapidly of a way to help her. Unfortunately, he could not think of any method.


    Elise was suspended in the air by the lianas, out of his reach. He wondered if he should jump into the bog and climb the lianas. However, the energy coming from the bog prevented him from doing so.


    The different magical energy fluctuations in his surroundings overwhelmed his senses. He could feel the strange energy that they were tracking from the bog. At the same time, another dreadful energy came from the dwelling.


    Yu shook his head in frustration. Just then, a loud and deep wail assaulted his ears.


    The center of the bog rose up as a large figure emerged from it. Murky and viscous liquid cascaded down from its body. It stood up to its full height of 20 feet above the surface of the bog. The lianas were thicker and converged into a single trunk.


    Human remains of varying degrees of decay were stuck in the crevices of its trunk and numerous stems. Decaying skin and flesh dangled from their bodies that were in twisted positions. Some of them had their eyes wide open and their tongues sticking out. Their pale bodies were bloated and were punctured by the twining lianas. The putrid stench wafted in the air.


    The liana monstrosity roared from its non-existant mouth. It was actually a huge wave of magical fluctuation that sounded like a roar.


    The liana, realizing that it was slowly being whittled down, finally decided to show itself. The liana was originally an ordinary plant. However, when the strange energy appeared, it fed on it and gradually evolved to its current form. There was a faint consciousness in the otherwise non-sentient regular lianas.


    "By the gods! What is that monster?" Greysen exclaimed in shock.


    "Be alert. Its attacks will be different from before," Cenric warned. He gripped his sword.


    Lana gulped. It seemed that her premonition from before was coming true. She readied herself. However, she had only one mid-level magic left.


    After pausing for a moment, the liana monster began whipping its stems in a speed much faster than before. The knights barely had time to react when a stem slammed Greysen against a tree in a distance. His sword flew from his hands. He fell onto the ground, groaning and tasting blood at the back of his throat.


    Lana quickly cast [Protection] on herself and Cenric. The wall of light deflected the onslaught of whipping lianas.


    Suddenly, magical energy exploded from the dwelling. Its wooden walls were blasted apart, revealing an eerie red glow over a large magic circle. Ribbons of blood danced in the air, rapidly absorbed into the magic circle.


    Fulton''s chanting grew louder and louder in a crescendo. Magic energy pulsed in waves in all direction. The glowing red runes along the circle moved and slowly clicked, like someone pushing a stuck gear with much difficulty.


    "Blood magic!" Lana exclaimed in horror from the inside of the dome of light.


    Cenric frowned. Too many things were happening at the same time. As if to add to his already chaotic surroundings, the liana monster pulled everything it could with its stems towards itself. Among the objects that it pulled were Edward and Gino. The monster seemed to want to absorb all the energy from other lifeforms in order to become stronger.


    Yu and Greysen were not exempted. The liana wrapped around them and yanked them off the ground. They were all pulled towards the bog.


    "No!" Lana screamed in horror. At this rate, the others will be absorbed by the monster.


    In her haste, she canceled the [Protection] and started the prayer for another magic. She needed all her magic energy for the next spell.


    "Lana, what are you doing?" Cenric exclaimed. He was surprised by Lana''s sudden action. He quickly deflected most of the lianas but some of them managed to injure him. Worry washed over his face as he could not protect the both of them while Lana was initiating another magic.


    [Smite]!


    Lana pointed her palms towards the liana monster and willed the magic with all her might. Light surrounded the whole monster and burned it.


    A hideous scream pierced into their ears.


    The monster''s long stems trashed violently in pain. They snapped against the ground in a frenzy. Then, it unwinded its stems that were twined around objects, humans included. They fell hard onto the ground with the air knocked out of their lungs.


    Yu groaned, his head spinning. He pushed himself up to take in the current situation. Being distracted was a big weakness in this situation.


    Despite the confusion, Edward looked around and saw Elise laying motionless. He rushed to her, ignoring the stinging sensation from his ribs.


    "Elise!" he cried.


    Elise was laying on her side, her eyes closed. Her face was deathly pale with a tinge of blue. Edward''s heart dropped. He shook her but got no response. He felt for her breath. There was none.


    The [Smite] was still in effect, with the liana monster alternating between jerking and flailing its stems. It curled and extended its stems as if it was trying to mediate the pain.


    Its movements were more erratic compared to the last. It somehow sensed that its current suffering was caused by the male and female duo. Enraged, it focused its stems on them.


    Cenric had difficulties evading and parrying the stems even with his increased perception due to its erratic path. The prolonged battle and him covering for two people did not help as well. A few liana stems slashed at him and he barely parried them. Then, a stem whipped over and slapped his right shoulder and dislocated it. Cenric grunted in pain.


    A swift liana stem shot past him. His injured arm failed to block it in time.


    "Lana!"


    Lana who was concentrating on her magic did not notice the stem. As a mage, she trusted her back to her companions when she cast her magic.


    She felt her chest explode with pain. She looked down and saw a bloody stem protruding out of her chest. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a soundless ''O''. Then, the stem lifted her off the ground as it reeled in pain from the effects of [Smite].


    Lana screamed as she was swung in the air. She was eventually dislodged from the stem and fell to the ground. She rolled a few times before coming to a stop, leaving a trail of blood behind her.


    Yu was shocked at the sudden development. They were gaining the upper hand, but the tides changed in an instant. He knew that he should not be sitting in his current position, not doing anything-- but he could not peel his eyes away from Lana''s downed figure.


    He saw her trying to get up. She tried to collect whatever magic energy she had left but the sudden cancellation of magic created a backlash on her. She trembled as she tried again. Blood rapidly flowed from her wound.


    Suddenly, her blood defied gravity and floated up into the air. Her body jerked upright as more blood was sucked out from her.


    The trail of blood flew towards the magic circle and was absorbed. Lana screamed in agony as more blood was sucked out. The color drained from her face. Her veins constricted and her heart tried to pump faster to compensate the blood loss. However, the sudden drop in blood volume was too much for her heart to handle and it ceased beating.


    Lana was dead before her blood was sucked dry. Her muscles spasmed for a bit as the last drops of her blood exited her body. She then fell limply to the ground.


    "No!" Cenric roared in grief. Unfortunately, he was not given the opportunity to grief as the liana monster was still flailing its stems.


    The last drops of blood were absorbed into the blood magic circle. The glowing red runes finally clicked into place. The spell was complete. Magic energy resonated in the air and the spell was finally released.


    "Hahahaha! The blood of a mage does the trick!" Fulton was elated.


    He was having difficulties with the spell but the problem was solved with the addition of Lana''s blood. A mage''s blood, after all, contained higher magic essence from that of a normal human.


    Red light shot up from the magic circle. Everything came to a standstill including the liana monster.


    Yu shuddered. The strange energy grew dreadful and more sinister. He felt suffocated and frightened. The hairs behind his neck were standing on their edges. Goosebumps covered his skin.


    Then, a thin line was drawn in the air. Finer lines branched out and grew in length. They converged and a few pieces of the of the sky was cracked open. Crimson light shone from within. It widened gradually and a slender white hand with needle-like nails squeezed through it. The hand retracted, replaced by an eye peering through the crack.


    It was gleaming in crimson. Yu felt that something deep within him stirred when he stared into the eye. It was as if his soul was attracted to the hypnotizing crimson light.

 015 Sword Resonance (1)

    The crimson eye rotated in its socket as it peered through the crack. Then, it looked at the humans-- pausing at each of them. The owner of the eye retracted its gaze and stuck its hands through the crack again to try to widen the gap. However, the edges of the crack did not budge.


    Fulton was waiting eagerly for the arrival of the new lord. However, he was confused when he saw that the crack in space could not accommodate the lord''s entrance.


    The spell was supposed to create a dimensional rift that connected Earth to the Zetearoph homeworld. The lords of the other world will arrive in this world through the dimensional rift. In addition, the Crimson Gloom-- crimson light from the Crimson Abyss was an important goal to achieve from the opening of dimensional rifts.


    Fulton grabbed his head and moaned when he realized the reason for the incomplete spell. It was supposed to be cast at night when the moon was out. Instead, the spell was cast in the day.


    ''Damn it!'' Fulton cursed.


    The incomplete rift will eventually collapse if it was left the way it was. The writings in the scroll were too complicated and it did not tell him much. Scribbles in the common language were all over the scroll, describing the ritual. Annotations above and beside the written passages detailed the pronunciations of the Old Language.


    Unfortunately, none of the scribbles and annotations held any clue to fix his current problem.


    Fulton ran his fingers through his hair and glanced around his surroundings. It was then that he noticed the strange stillness in the air and the people around him.


    Then, a thought struck him: he would restart the ritual with the blood from other humans. He just had to find a way to draw their blood.


    Fulton grinned malevolently and hurried back into the shack.


    A low and deep growl escaped the creature from inside the dimensional rift. Although it was merely a crack, the Crimson Gloom leaked out and shone over the forest inhabitants within a twenty feet radius. Living things that were sensitive to magic energy were affected by the light.


    Yu stared at the spectacle in front of him, dazed. His eyes were locked with the crimson eye from inside the rift. Crimson light reflected off his dark, grey eyes. He walked forward slowly towards the source of the light like how a moth was attracted to light. His consciousness was sucked into an unknown place and he did not have any control over his body.


    Almost all living creatures were affected by the light and were dazed. However, there were exceptions. People who had lower magic energy sensitivity and those who had the training to protect themselves against such intense magical fluctuations were generally unaffected.


    Among the people who had such training was Edward. However, he was oblivious to the fluctuations and had his full attention on Elise, frantically reviving her. Even after many resuscitations, he could not get his daughter to start breathing again. He blew air repeatedly through her mouth and pleaded for her to wake up.


    ''No¡­ no¡­ no!'' This one word repeated over and over again in his head while his heart sank further.


    Edward could not afford to lose Elise, not after his wife. The image of his dying wife from thirteen years ago overlapped with his daughter. The feeling of helplessness from back then gripped him once more.


    After attempting to revive Elise for the umpteenth time, he sat slumped on the ground. His chest felt tight and a lump formed in the back of his throat. Tears threatened to spill out from the base of his eyes. His trembling hand gently caressed her cheek while the other held her limp hand.


    "No," Edward whispered.


    "Not this time," he said, his words fueled with mettle. There was a slim chance, but still a chance, nevertheless.


    Edward gripped Elise''s hand and closed his eyes. He focused on his breath and the minuscule magic energy within him.


    ''Ytrea, please help me once more,'' he pleaded in his heart.


    He combed through his entire being to search for the almost non-existent magic energy inside him. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration as he strained his mental strength to collect the remaining energy accumulated from over the years.


    It was difficult to collect his magic energy since he had used the majority of it on Yu the other day.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Finally, the scarce magic energy within him converged together and formed a thin stream. It flowed from him into Elise through their connected hands. As more of the energy left Edward and flowed into Elise, his face turned paler while Elise''s face slowly returned to its rosy color.


    Edward shook from the exertion when Elise finally gasped and coughed as her lungs sucked in the air greedily. Her eyes snapped open. The first thing that she saw was her father''s pale and teary face.


    Edward pulled her into a tight embrace and rejoiced-- his tears streamed down his face.


    "Oh, thank you, Ytrea!" Edward exclaimed tearfully as the weight from worry and despair left his shoulders.


    Elise, still dazed, wondered why her father looked the way he was. She had never seen her father with that expression. She blinked her eyes a few times and returned her father''s embrace.


    Edward released his daughter and cupped Elise''s face in his hands. His eyes were wrought with concern.


    "Are you alright? Are you hurting anywhere?" he asked.


    Elise frowned as she recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness. She remembered the suffocating feeling as her chest was slowly crushed. After taking a few deep breaths, Elise decided that she was unhurt albeit some aches in her chest.


    Elised smiled weakly and shook her head. She did not want to worry her father.


    "You''re not feeling alright?" Edward was alarmed.


    Elise shook her head quickly. It seemed that her father had misunderstood her.


    "I''m alright, father. I don''t feel hurt," she said, her voice slightly coarse. Her body was still weak although she was alert.


    Edward sighed with relief again. He reexamined his daughter to make sure that she was really fine. Only then did he look around their surroundings.


    The hairs on the back of his neck tingled when he realized that the area was bathed in a crimson light. He clutched Elise closer to his chest.


    Edward could feel that the ominous energy from the crimson light was interfering with the living things in the forest. The energy permeated through his body and swirled in its depths, agitating his mind. If not for his experience in regulating his own senses, he would have succumbed to the effects.


    "Father, what''s wrong?" Elise asked after seeing her father''s sudden change in expression.


    Edward breathed heavily and did not respond to Elise''s question immediately. He tried recalling any instances of similar energies from his memory.


    "Father, what is that thing?" Gino dragged a huge greatsword and limped over to Edward''s side. He pointed towards the crack in space.


    Gino had coincidently fallen near Greysen''s greatsword when the liana monster had let go of them. He then picked it up and dragged it along like it was the most natural thing to do.


    He plopped down beside Elise and looked at her meaningfully. Gino had witnessed the whole scene where Edward was frantically reviving his sister. He had a terrible scare, but seeing her up and alert, he was visibly relieved.


    However, their current condition was far from ideal. They were stuck in an unstable situation. Gino hoped that his father may provide them with an explanation and lead them towards safety.


    Edward, who had his back facing the dimensional rift, turned around when he heard Gino. What he saw was something mentioned only in history. He recognized the significance of the rifts from his previous occupation although this was his first time seeing it.


    A chill went down his spine as he was struck with fear and uncertainty. He knew that the rift had to be closed. However, he did not know how. Edward currently was only a regular village healer, unlike the former mage that he was years ago. Furthermore, he did not have the knowledge to close the rift.


    Edward sat there with his children, pondering over their options. He decided that they had no other choice but to leave. In the corner of his heart, however, he felt that he was missing something. He started to get up when he saw a figure walking directly towards the rift in space.


    "Wait, is that Yu? What''s he doing?" Gino wondered. He noticed Yu almost the same time as Edward.


    "Yu?" Elise peered past her father and squinted against the crimson light.


    ''What''s happening?'' Edward thought and looked around.


    He was preoccupied with the dimensional rift before that he failed to realize the situation of the others.


    Edward saw that the huge liana monster was still-- its branches on the ground as if prostrating towards the being from the other side of the rift.


    Cenric was frozen in spot. He was struggling against the energy intruding his body. Greysen laid unconscious on the ground from the bad fall.


    Meanwhile, Fulton rummaged through his stash of ancient scrolls. He was looking for a spell that utilized Wood Element to control the giant liana monster. If the plan succeeded, he would be able to collect the blood needed to extend the dimensional rift.


    During this time, the monster behind the dimensional rift did not sit still. It was trying very hard to squeeze through the small rift. It growled and snarled as it got increasingly frustrated. Finally, it could not hold back its anger anymore and unleashed a dense wave of its energy.


    Alarm bells went off in Edward''s mind. He rushed towards Yu.


    "Father!" Elise called out in surprise.


    "Eugene, take Elise and get away from here! I''ll get Yu!"


    Gino nodded and helped Elise up.


    Yu, who was in a blank state, was suddenly assaulted by the dense energy. His vision suddenly turned crimson as ethereal wailings pierced his head. He clutched his head and screamed in pain. He felt that the insides of his head were slowly twisted apart.


    With his teeth tightly clenched, Yu knelt on the ground as he shook in pain. The energy from the Crimson Gloom permeated through him and was slowly changing the composition of his body. Unbeknownst to him, the leather collar he wore was tightening around his neck.


    "Yu! Hey, can you hear me? Snap out of it!" Edward grabbed Yu by his shoulders and shook him hard.


    Edward slapped Yu hard in the face as the latter did not hear him the first time. If the first slap did not do the trick, then the third slap did.


    Yu felt his cheeks stinging and blinked his bleary eyes to clear the haze in his mind. The energy from the other dimension that oppressed him lifted when he broke eye contact with the crimson eye.

 016 Sword Resonance (2)

    The piercing pain in his head lingered albeit at a lesser degree. He panted and looked at Edward gratefully as cold sweat drenched his back.


    "Thanks," Yu whispered breathlessly and held on to Edward.


    "Go. Elise and Eugene are there," Edward pointed towards their direction and pushed Yu.


    "What about you?"


    "Don''t worry about me," Edward smiled and started to get up.


    Yu grabbed Edward''s arm and stopped him. He shook his head.


    "We''ll go together."


    Edward wanted to brush Yu away but he hesitated. The latter''s deep gray eyes shone with determination. It was impossible for Edward to reject Yu''s words.


    Their eyes locked for only a brief second before they understood each other''s intentions. With their weight against each other, they rose to their feet. Edward winced as pain flared up his side. Yu furrowed his eyebrows when he felt Edward wincing.


    "I''ll get Greysen. You get Cenric," Edward said with a wry smile.


    Yu nodded and they detached from each other. He stumbled towards Cenric. Although he was not frozen in spot from the dense energy like before, it was still oppressing that he had difficulty walking. He finally reached Cenric, panting.


    Cenric was struggling to move his limbs. His heightened perception made him more susceptible to energy interference. He tried to collect his own magical energy but his concentration was cut short by the buffeting energy before it could coalesce.


    "Cenric, come on," Yu reached out to Cenric who was kneeling on the ground.


    Yu had almost touched Cenric when they felt another source of magical energy. He reflexively turned to the source and saw a ghastly light glowing from the wooden dwelling.


    Frenetic chanting in the Old Language reverberated through the air. A greenish glow from the magic circle underneath Fulton illuminated his angular face from below, creating a sinister look from the green highlights. His black robes flapped in accordance to the waves of magic energy; in his hand was a twisted, charred staff, while a piece of parchment was in the other.


    The staff in his hand disintegrated and was absorbed into the magic circle. Runes clicked and the spell was released. Fulton''s knees slammed into the ground, his face pale. However, a smile was etched on his face. He had succeeded.


    The large liana monster stirred, as if waking up from its temporary slumber. A magic circle appeared underneath the monster together with the one that appeared beneath Fulton. As both spells were released, the liana monster screeched. Runes shot up to its stems and imbued it with the Laws of Magic. A similar rune appeared on the back of Fulton''s palm.


    Yu frowned at the sudden development. He could feel a connection between the liana monster and Fulton. The muscles in his body tensed as he watched the liana monster regain its vigor. Its stem flailed awkwardly in the air as Fulton tried to gain control over the monster.


    Warning bells went off in Yu''s mind as the scene unfolded in front of him. He instinctively knew that he had to kill Fulton in order to stop the monster. Yu glanced around until a cold gleam caught his attention. A steel arming sword lay on the ground beside the kneeling Cenric. Yu lunged over and grabbed the sword without thinking.


    "Hey--" Cenric who had partially recovered from his stunned state was startled by the Yu''s sudden movement. However, what stopped his words mid-sentence was not the unexpected move from Yu.


    White light enveloped Yu. Together with that light, the emblem carved onto the blade of the sword glowed. Yu brought the sword up at and looked at the emblem in wonder. Something familiar clicked in his mind as the sword vibrated in his hands.


    That was a sign that a person was highly compatible with a knight''s sword. The common understanding among knights was that an untainted person could trigger resonance with a knight''s sword, since the swords are the representation of purity. That person would be blessed by the deities and able to perform feats.


    However, such compatibilities were very rare. Even Cenric did not get such a response from his own sword when he first held it. He watched in amazement with his mouth agape until the light faded out. It was like a miracle.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Yu blinked a few times and regained his bearings. The white light that was pure magic rejuvenated his entire being. His muscles felt energized while his previous fears and anxiety were washed away.


    His gaze fell onto the enemy mage that was still struggling to control the liana monster. The light in Yu''s eyes changed as he stared resolutely at Fulton and the monster that was flailing its stems.


    Yu widened his legs and bent his left leg forwards. His sword lowered behind him as his torso lowered. The muscles in his body were tensed like a drawn bow and arrow. His grip on his sword handle tightened until his knuckles turned white.


    Yu could feel a faint wind blowing against the back of his neck. This sent tingles through his nerves throughout his body. Realizing that he was too tensed, he let out a long and deep breath.


    The burning determination in Yu''s eyes changed into deep whirlpools of apathy. His grip on his sword relaxed for only a split second before he shot out towards Fulton. He was so quick that he looked like a blur to the eyes of a normal person.


    Fulton felt a sudden chill and looked up to see a figure rushing towards him. He panicked at the sudden change and frantically ordered the liana monster to protect him. The liana quickly complied and whipped its stems towards Yu. The woody liana stems slapped the ground beside Yu but missed by a huge distance.


    "Damn it!" Fulton cursed.


    He had not fully integrated with the liana monster and could not control it well. With his life at stake, Fulton concentrated hard and controlled the liana monster to his will as if the stems were an extension of his limbs. Blood trickled down from his nose from the mental exertion.


    The liana stems got more coordinated and were striking closer to Yu. Soon, Yu had to actively avoid the stems. He only needed to think to evade and his body moved instinctively. It was a strange disconnected feeling but it was not the time to dwell upon it. Oddly enough, he did not feel the strain on his muscles like what happened in his previous fight with the corrupted wolf.


    Fulton was increasingly frantic as the distance between him and Yu lessened rapidly. His chaotic mind did not help his condition as it reduced his control of the liana monster. Sensing this, a burst of energy filled Yu''s legs as he made the final rush towards Fulton. Liana stems collided in mid-air as they missed Yu once more. He broke through the final line of offensive liana stems, only to be met with more stems that crisscrossed each other-- forming a barrier between Yu and Fulton.


    This was the final defense mechanism of the liana monster. After the spell, it was bound to its human master and instinctively knew that when its master dies, it dies too.


    This, however, did not deter Yu. He sidestepped the barrier and thrust his sword between the gaps of the stems. Unfortunately, he only managed to slightly wound Fulton on his shoulder. Yu quickly pulled the sword back before the gap closed in to trap his sword.


    The barrier took up precious time and the other stems were back to assault Yu. However, Fulton was distracted by his wounded shoulder and the movement of the stems were discoordinated. Yu avoided them without much effort and he went in for the kill once more.


    Yu stepped on one of the stems and jumped from one to another in a series of steps to bypass the barrier. He drew from his experience during the fight against the wolves from before: rapid change in direction mid-air to confuse his enemy. He finally reached near Fulton''s back where the barrier was the most sparse and thrust his sword towards the latter''s heart.


    Fulton realized that he did not have a chance against the youth and resorted to a final trick. He pulled out a gem-like seed from the inner pocket of his robes. Unfortunately, he was a second too late when the tip of Yu''s sword stabbed through his heart from his back.


    Blood spurt out from Fulton''s chest as Yu pulled his sword out. Fulton''s body went limp and fell onto his back with his eyes wide open. He saw the youth standing over him, his face expressionless.


    "Heh..." Fulton chuckled. He was defeated by a mere boy. However, at that moment, the boy did not look like a boy at all-- he looked like a seasoned executioner.


    Yu did not let his guard down as he watched Fulton breathe his last. There was also the liana monster that was not dead yet. After Fulton''s death, the liana monster screeched, its death throes echoing through the forest. Its stems flailed one last time, attempting to clutch at the last straws of life. Finally, the stems withered and dried out. It was then still.


    All was silent except for Yu''s soft panting. The adrenaline left his body and he felt some weakness in his limbs. Fortunately, it was not as bad as before. He could still stand.


    Yu looked at Fulton''s body. It suddenly dawned upon him that he took a life. He felt that he should feel something, even if it was hate or relief from eliminating a threat. However, there was none. The act of killing was natural, like waking up from sleep. He frowned but shrugged the thought off. There was still some unfinished business.


    The dimensional rift was still open, but it was gradually closing as nature took its course. Yu took one last look at the crimson eye from the other side of the rift. This time, he was not stunned because the energy fluctuations were reduced with the closing rift. Also, he was blessed by the white magic from the sword.


    The creature had witnessed the whole fight between Yu and Fulton. Something that changed within the boy piqued the interest of the creature. It happened with the combination of both the Crimson Gloom and the blessing from the sword.


    It continued to lock gazes with Yu until the rift sealed itself. The image of a youth with red hair and dark gray eyes burned into its memory. It may not have succeeded in entering the human world, but it had witnessed a seedling that would eventually grow into a tree that could potentially impede their agenda. This was important news to the Zetearoph homeworld.


    More silence ensued after the rift finally closed. The tense atmosphere was released as everyone can finally take a breather.


    Yu sat with a thud. He closed his eyes and gave a long sigh. It was finally over.

 017 Seeing Red

    The late afternoon sun shone through the dense forest canopy, casting mottled shadows underneath. Dead leaves scattered in the air, rustling softly as they brushed against each other until they finally descended onto the forest floor. That was the only movement in the forest-- the humans that had just finished their harrowing encounter with their enemies were still, save for their undulating chests. Different thoughts were in their minds at the moment. However, the common emotion that they felt was relief.


    Yu opened his eyes once his breathing returned to normal. The sight of Fulton''s dead body greeted him once more. He paused at Fulton''s lifeless eyes for a few moments, as if trying to see the man that he once was.


    One second passed, then another. To the others who saw Yu, it seemed as if he was in shock or was dumbstruck by the dead body in front of him. In reality, Yu was replaying the previous battle in his mind. He tried to recall the specific moves that he executed beforehand. However, they were a blur. His body moved in ways that he could not comprehend. He felt like he was just a passenger in his body.


    Yu furrowed his eyebrows. He did not have answers for his current questions and felt annoyed by the lack of memories that would explain the skills he displayed.


    ''Perhaps Edward was right, I am a swordsman after all,'' he thought as he sighed. Not surprisingly, that statement did not feel foreign to him.


    He tried to recall the feeling when he swung the sword and hoped that it will trigger a memory. The motions were so natural that he did not feel anything out of place. Still, no memories came to him as he tried to grasp past the haze that covered them. Frustration arose concurrently with a dull throbbing pain that constricted his head. He even felt like throwing out the sword in his hand out of spite.


    Yu finally decided that it was futile to chase after something so fleeting such as his memories. Sighing once more, Yu stood up shakily to his feet. The energy boost that he had from before had dissipated with rest. His body felt sore from being dragged and dropped by the monster. While he rolled his sore shoulders and looked around, he realized that he was inside a half-collapsed wooden dwelling.


    The roof was punched through by liana stems. The beams hung precariously, supported by the remaining withered stems. They looked like they would crumble even from a light touch. One of the walls had completely collapsed, allowing one to view the bog without obstacles.


    With limited light, Yu saw that there was a gouged up circular pattern in the ground under Fulton''s body. He traced the pattern with his eyes and eventually saw lifeless babies with their throats slit. With their flesh gray and their skins withered and leathery; they curled up in fetal positions and had died as the blood drained from their bodies.


    Yu paused again at the sight of the babies, blinked once, and let his gaze wander around the rest of the dwelling. He did not notice, but his breath caught briefly before resuming its normal rhythm.


    Suddenly, Yu heard a muffled thud behind a door in the dwelling. He snapped his head towards the sound and gripped his sword. A few moments passed before he decided to investigate the sound. His breaths were soft and level as he cautiously navigated around the withered lianas towards the door. He stood in front of the door and listened for any sounds.


    Yu was sure that there was someone in the room behind the door. He tried pushing the door open but it would not budge. His eyes scanned the edges of the door and noticed that the hinges were rotting. Then, he took a step back and kicked the door near its hinges.


    The door burst open and smashed onto the ground. At the same time, a frightened yell sounded from a corner of the room. A foul stench immediately assaulted Yu''s nose. He winced and covered his nose with his hand.


    It was dark, save for some sun rays that seeped through the gaps between the wooden planks. There was just enough light to make out the outlines of the objects in the room. Yu allowed his eyesight to adjust to the dark before he stepped towards the source of the yelping. His footsteps were light and controlled. He only managed a few steps before he froze on the spot.


    Metal shackles hung from the ceiling with naked bodies dangling upside down-- their feet within the shackles'' clasps. Wide, gaping slits stretched across their necks from under their ears. Large empty buckets that were once full with blood were arranged under the bodies. Dried blood caked the metal hoops of the buckets. It was like inside a slaughterhouse.


    Among the dead bodies were children. Their eyes were glazed over; some rolled into the back of their heads, exposing only the whites. Their mouths hung open with swollen tongues within them. The long hair of girls that almost swept the ground was stiffened with dried blood.


    Pins and needles crept up the back of Yu''s neck. His jaw locked into place and his breathing quickened. The edges of his vision blurred as the view in front of him became more vivid. He felt a lump in his throat as his stomach tightened.


    Time seemed to freeze as images and phantom sensations flashed in his mind.


    Red covered his vision. Terrified child-like screams echoed. A solid cold rested against his neck, sending chills throughout his body.


    "Yu!"


    Yu snapped back to reality, panting. He reflexively clutched his neck with his left hand, only to feel the familiar leather collar. His back was drenched in cold sweat. He looked around for the voice that called him back to the present, only to see no one. The voice must have come together with the vision that overwhelmed him.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He shook his head to clear it and made sure to avoid looking at the hanging bodies again. However, he was not as calm as before. Something tugged at the corner of his heart. He disregarded the strange experience and continued to investigate the noise. Thinking about it would have to wait. This time, however, his footsteps were heavy and quick.


    Suddenly, Yu saw a faint outline of a person half covered by some large barrels. He raised his sword and inched forwards. With only a few feet away, he lunged forward and tackled the person to the ground.


    A shrill scream reverberated through the room as Yu grappled with the unknown person to the ground. He eventually held the person in a headlock.


    "P-p-please! S-spare me!" A nasal voice pleaded.


    Yu stopped but did not release the man.


    "Who are you?" Yu asked.


    "J-Jop!" the man stuttered.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I¡­ I¡­ Uh, m-m-master¡­" Jop gulped down his saliva nervously.


    "What?" Yu asked again, annoyed.


    "I know nothin'', I swear!" Jop pleaded frantically.


    His mind was in a panicked mess and he spouted incoherent sentences. Jop was frightened to the point that he soiled his pants. During the battle earlier, he witnessed that Yu had killed his master with a chilling proficiency. He was scared silly and did not want to end up like his master.


    "I don''t know, I don''t know! Please¡­ please! Spare me!" Jop pleaded hysterically while tears streamed down his face.


    Yu narrowed his eyes and moved from a headlock to a chokehold. Jop immediately choked and gasped for breath. He struggled and hit Yu with his flailing limbs.


    "Listen. I want to know what you''re doing here, not the nonsense you''re spouting. I''ll ask you once more: What are you doing here? Now, I''m going to release you and you''d better answer me well. Do you understand?"


    Yu''s icy and leveled voice struck added fear into Jop''s heart. However, despite the fear, the voice managed to put sense into his head. Jop nodded repeatedly despite himself choking.


    Yu released Jop and the latter collapsed, coughing and sucking in the air that his lungs so direly needed. Suddenly, he felt a cold blade by his neck. He froze, his eyes wide with trepidation.


    "Speak."


    "M-m-master brought me here, t-t-to¡­ to¡­ to¡­" Jop stuttered and was unable to continue.


    Yu sighed at the frightened slave that was kneeling in terror. His mood got worse at Jop''s stuttering and inability to speak coherently. The uneasiness in his heart only got stronger.


    "Your master brought you here?"


    Jop gulped and nodded his head. His eyes were so wide that they looked like they were about to pop out from their sockets. Yu glanced past the splintered door.


    "That''s your master?" Yu gestured with his head towards Fulton''s body.


    Jop nodded.


    "His name?"


    "Mmm-master Fulton."


    "Where is he from?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know."


    "What about the liana monster?"


    "I don''t know."


    "What are your master''s motives? His plans?"


    "I don''t kk-know..."


    "You don''t know?" Yu asked, his voice deepened as he tightened his grip on the sword.


    The edge of the blade dug into Jop''s neck. It stung and blood trickled down his neck. Jop winced and shrieked. He shrunk backward and shook his head rapidly.


    "No! No! I really don''t know! Mm-master brought me here last month! He-he only asked me to collect blood from people every day! I don''t know anything else!" Jop said, his tears flowing uncontrollably.


    "You killed them? The children?" Yu''s eyes widened, his grip tightened. The tugging in his heart crept closer to the back of his mind, threatening to overwhelm his logic.


    "Y-yes, Master told me to!"


    "Why?" Yu''s voice sounded almost guttural. His breaths shortened.


    "I-I don''t know¡­ Uh¡­ uhm¡­ ahh¡­ t-to collect their blood? Master taught me how to do it. Feed them with the black liquid, hang them by their feet, and then cut their throat. Oh, he also said to make sure that the cut is deep enough that the jugular and windpipe are severed completely. After that, set the bucket under the bodies and drain the blood into them..." Jop recalled his master''s instructions while he ran his mouth off.


    Yu listened to Jop''s explanation halfway before he lost it. Words like "hang", "severed", "drain", and "blood" jumped out to him the most. The rest of the sentences were muffled. The uneasiness that hid at the back of his mind broke free like water bursting through a dam roaring-- blotting out all sound.


    "¡­ finally, collect the bodies and--" Jop stopped mid-sentence. His skin crawled. He snapped back to reality and got a good look at the boy in front of him.


    The light in Yu''s eyes had changed. Intense bloodlust lit his eyes. He raised his sword high.


    Jop screamed. He was terribly terrified that he borderline screeched. Jop shrunk further backward, scrambled to his feet, and ran. The sword crashed to the ground behind him, missing by a hair''s breadth.


    Yu, mad without sense, picked up an empty bucket and flung it towards Jop. The slave had just run past the door when the bucket smashed into his head. He fell facedown onto the ground and skidded forward. Without waiting, he scrambled up on his fours and crawled.


    Another shiver shot up Jop''s spine. He flipped onto his back and saw the bloodshot eyes of the boy.


    "Please, s-spare me! I didn''t mean to kill them! Mm-master told me to! He''d kkill me if I didn''t!" Jop pleaded.


    Yu looked down towards the slave. The latter''s dirty and disheveled hair was plastered to his face by his tears. Snot flowed into his mouth and spattered as he spoke. His clothes were dirty and tattered that they looked like rags. Jop''s appearance was pitiful.


    However, Yu was not fazed by the seemingly pitiful slave. He only saw red. Once again, he raised his sword.


    Seeing this, Jop panicked further. He knew that he could not outrun the killer in front of him. He was under Yu''s mercy.


    "Pl-please! N-nn-no no no no! Spare me! I-anything! You! Slave¡­ you! Your slave! Please!" Jop kneeled and begged.


    The words were incoherent but his hands were frantically gesticulating: left hand clutching his chest, the right touched Yu''s right foot before tapping his own head with the same hand. It was the ultimate gesture of servitude for slaves. This gesture meant that the slave would do anything for the master, even giving up his own life.


    Yu did not care. He raised the sword above his head, tensed, and brought it down in one swift motion. Jop screeched and jumped backward. Alas, this time, he was not quick enough.


    The sword chopped through Jop''s neck and severed the bones, arteries, veins, and anything else that ran through the neck from the head to the body. Dark, sticky blood spurt out from the base of Jop''s neck in beats, matching his still-beating heart. His head plopped to the ground and rolled away; blood oozed from the base of the head. Finally, the body dropped to the ground with a thud. The muscles twitched for a little as blood poured out from the neck. The body was finally still.


    Blood dripped from Yu''s sword. He stood in silence. Some warm blood had splashed onto his pants. It felt almost hot, scalding his skin. Clarity gradually returned to his mind. He panted with widened eyes.


    "Y-Yu...?" A nervous voice sounded.


    Yu raised his head. Elise stood before him, her hands clutched the tunic by the chest. She took a step backward when their gazes met. Her eyes were wide with shock. She did not expect such a bloody scene.


    They stood in silence; Yu in the cover of shadows, Elise under the golden rays of the sun. Yu opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out. He did not know what to say and could only look at the decapitated body in front of him blankly.

 018 Decisions and Responsibilities

    Elise and Yu stood facing each other; both of them staring at the headless body in between them. Their thoughts were in turmoil for different reasons.


    "Elise," Edward gingerly touched his daughter''s shoulder.


    She did not respond until Edward pulled her into his arms. Only then did the tension that held her released. Her body shook with sobs, her cheeks wet with tears.


    "Shh¡­ it''s okay," Edward stroked the back of Elise''s head, consoling her.


    The others trailed behind. Gino gulped and averted his gaze. Greysen, now conscious and with his sword, frowned. Cenric made sure that there was no more danger before he cautiously approached Yu.


    "That''s my sword, I believe," Cenric said with a guarded expression.


    He had witnessed the entire exchange between Yu and Fulton. Before he could recover from the shock, another incident shocked him further: Yu had executed the pleading slave in cold blood. His shock quickly morphed into caution and suspicion. Cenric and Greysen would have been hostile if not for the light of resonance that shone when Yu first grasped Cenric''s sword. It was a prove that Yu did not have evil intentions despite his seeming ruthlessness towards the enemy.


    There were many questions left to be answered but getting the boy to calm down was their priority.


    "Yu," Cenric called out to the dazed boy again. He motioned towards his sword.


    Yu looked up, seemingly at a loss of what to do.


    "I¡­" he trailed.


    "It''s okay. Just put the sword down. I don''t want you to hurt yourself," Cenric persuaded.


    Yu looked down to the sword and realized that his knuckles were white. His nails dug into his palm and drew blood. He tried to unclench his fingers but they failed to respond to his brain. In the end, he just stared blankly at the hilt of the sword.


    Noticing this, Cenric cautiously stepped forward with his palms facing outwards.


    "It''s okay. Yu, I''m coming to you, alright?" After making sure that Yu would not suddenly lash out, Cenric reached the latter and held the boy''s hand firmly-- but gentle-- in his.


    One by one, Cenric unclenched Yu''s frozen fingers and recovered his sword.


    "There. We''re all good. Everything''s okay now," Cenric said while he patted Yu''s shoulder.


    While he was doing that, he signaled Greysen over with his eyes.


    Feeling surprised, Greysen his finger pointing at himself and mouthed, "What? Me?"


    Cenric frowned and nodded, then gestured with his chin for Greysen to come over. He wanted the towering knight to take care of the listless boy because he had to investigate the room of the dwelling. Whatever that had happened in there caused such a bloody scene. He had to make sure that everything was completely safe for the others.


    It was not the best choice, but they had no other options. Edward was preoccupied with Elise. Gino was just a kid that was equally shocked. Besides, the person that was gentle and kind from their team was dead. The only person left was Greysen. Cenric''s heart dropped at the thought of Lana. They would have to take care of her body later.


    It was not ideal for one person to investigate an unknown place but Cenric had used his heightened perception and made sure that there was no one else inside. There were no magical fluctuations that could indicate magical traps. However, it was still risky as he did not know of any mechanical traps set inside.


    Greysen begrudgingly obliged and stepped over to relieve Cenric.


    "Thanks," Cenric said.


    "You owe me one," Greysen grumbled.


    "Nay," Cenric chuckled, "You owe the boy one."


    Cenric shook his head, stepped over the splintered door and into the room. Greysen saw his back disappearing into the darkness.


    Greysen turned his head back to Yu and scratched his head. He had a problem-- he had no idea how to console a shell-shocked person. He thought for a bit and cleared his throat.


    "Alright boy, why don''t we go to the side and take a sit?"


    He was met with silence. Yu''s gaze remained at the headless body. However, his eyes stared into nothingness.


    "Hey, can you hear me?" Greysen waved his hands in front of Yu.


    Still, his actions were met with more silence. Greysen groaned. He disliked taking care of others. It would be great if being a knight meant chopping through hordes of enemy. He thought for a bit and gave up. With one swift move, grabbed the boy and swung him over his shoulder.


    Yu yelped and struggled at the sudden manhandling. Greysen ignored him and deposited the struggling boy onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. Yu landed hard on his back and rolled from side to side, groaning. He finally stopped on his side, breathing through clenched teeth. Greysen clicked his tongue and watched the boy with his hands on his waist.


    Slowly, Yu sat up, his hand on his back. He glared at Greysen.


    "There, there. Everything''s okay now," Greysen crouched and patted Yu''s shoulder-- copying Cenric''s words from before. However, it sounded like he was mocking Yu. The boy stared at Greysen without another word.


    "Are you hurt anywhere?" A familiar gruff voice asked.


    Yu turned to see Edward. He shook his head.


    "Let me take a look at you," Edward said. He bent down and lifted Yu''s shirt to expose the latter''s back.


    "Hmm¡­ it''s just a bruise. No broken bones."


    Yu nodded.


    "Hah! As if he''ll get broken bones from that," Greysen scoffed.


    Edward narrowed his eyes, "The liana monster threw all of us to the ground-- hard. It doesn''t hurt to be too cautious."


    Edward then checked Yu thoroughly to make sure that he was really fine. While he was doing that, Yu saw Elise and Gino sitting some distance away from him. Elise''s eyes were red and she was sniffling. Then, their gazes met. Elise immediately hid behind Gino as if scalded by boiling water.


    Yu felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He did not expect Elise to react this way. However, after a few moments of thought, he felt that it was only natural. He had beheaded the slave in cold-blood. He was a killer.


    Gino said something to Elise, trying to persuade her. However, Elise shrunk back farther behind him. Sighing, he turned back to Yu with an apologetic face. Yu shook his head, indicating that he did not mind.


    "Edward," Cenric called from the entrance of the room. His voice was level, but his face was pale.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "You said you are a village healer, right?"


    "Yes. What''s wrong?"


    "Come here. I need your help," Cenric beckoned for Edward to follow him into the room.


    The two men left and disappeared into the dark room but not before Edward reassuring Elise that he would be fine. The dwelling returned to its silence once more.


    "Hey kid," Greysen nudged Yu with his foot, "Fancy moves back there."


    Yu gulped and remained silent.


    "It''s hard to believe that you grew up as a simple village boy in the outskirts. It''s impossible," Greysen added. He paused and gauged Yu''s response.


    Yu lowered his gaze and stared at the ground.


    "If not for the sword resonance, we won''t be sitting here chatting. You''d be dead," Greysen said, his voice grave.


    Yu wanted to ask about sword resonance, but he stopped at the second sentence. He looked at Greysen with a blank face.


    "I''d say that you''re an exceptional Farling spy. You hold your lies well, you barely react when I threaten you, and you fight well-- except that the blessed sword accepted you. Why is that so?" Greysen asked rhetorically.


    "Fortunately, it can only mean one thing: that you don''t hold evil in your heart," Greysen sighed before he continued, "And I can only trust the judgment of the blessed ones-- that you don''t mean us harm."


    Yu remained silent as he was once again engrossed in his thoughts. He thought over Greysen''s words: that he did not mean harm and that he did not hold evil in his heart. However, he killed in cold blood. No-- more accurately, he did not feel when he killed.


    ''Was that evil? What is evil?''


    Seeing Yu once again with a blank stare, Greysen misunderstood that Yu was troubled with guilt.


    "Kid, what you did was necessary. It was either us or them. As for the slave¡­ Well, he was the slave of the mage. So, he who is in service of evil deserves to die."


    Yu frowned. He recalled Jop''s words. The slave had no choice but to follow the orders of his master.


    ''Did he deserve death?'' Yu thought.


    "¡­ but he killed the children¡­" Yu mumbled. He felt something stir in his heart. The images of the dead children flashed in his mind. He clenched his eyes at the memory.


    "What!? Killed the children!? " Greysen exclaimed.


    Yu flinched at the sound of Greysen''s booming voice.


    "You mean¡­ in there¡­?" Greysen pointed to the dark room.


    Yu nodded.


    Greysen frowned and thought for a moment.


    "Then, he deserved it. You did the right thing," Greysen said and patted Yu¡¯s shoulder.


    Yu looked back down to the ground. He was not so sure about that.


    *****


    Back in the dark room, Cenric and Edward looked at the cage in front of them, at a loss of what to do. At least twenty humans sat cramped together in the cage, covered in filth and excrement. Flies buzzed and darted close to the filth that soaked the prisoners. Their eyes were devoid of life despite their slow breaths. Some sat upright while some lay on their sides; their bodies piled above one another.


    "What do we do with them?" Cenric asked.


    "There''s nothing we can do. Their spirits are broken. Even if we preserve their lives¡­" Edward''s voice trailed. He did not continue but Cenric understood what he meant. However, Edward did not want to give up.


    "Perhaps there''s a way to reverse the effect. If we know the method used to break their spirits, there just might be a way--"


    "There is no way. Broken spirits can''t be fixed."


    Edward sighed. He knew in his heart that there was no hope.


    "What do we do with them?" Cenric asked again, not exactly expecting an answer.


    He thought hard for a solution. They could leave the prisoners here and call for reinforcements. However, it would take almost two weeks for the reinforcements to arrive. While waiting, the prisoners would be exposed to danger from wild beasts. Most importantly, they lack food and would starve to death.


    There was, however, another option that neither Cenric nor Edward wanted to take, if at all possible.


    Edward kneeled by the open cage once more and looked at the prisoners. He had checked on them but he wanted to make sure that his diagnosis was true. Then, a tiny figure caught his eye. He did not see the figure earlier because it was almost hidden under the other bodies. The lack of light did not help their situation either. Despite that, Edward ignored the filth and buzzing flies and parted the sea of bodies to reach the half-hidden figure. He dug his hands under and pulled it out with a grunt.


    A skinny body emerged. Edward could feel the bones beneath the skin in his hands. He squinted under the dim light and saw that it was a girl. Unlike the other prisoners, her eyes were screwed shut, her breathing rapid and shallow. Edward brushed his hand over her forehead and felt it burning.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Cenric asked, puzzled by the sudden development.


    ¡°A sick girl. It¡¯s too dark in here. I can¡¯t examine her properly like this,¡± Edward said and carried the girl out of the room that reeked of death and decay.


    He set her down under the sun rays that shone through the hole in the roof. The girl''s face was caked in filth. Edward wiped her face with the edge of his shirt.


    "Does anyone have water?" he asked aloud.


    "Here," Greysen tossed a water pouch from a pack.


    Edward caught the water pouch and rinsed the filth from the girl''s face. It revealed her youthful face. He also rinsed her body, exposing her bare torso. Gasps sounded behind Edward.


    "Father, is she...?" Elise asked. Gino and she had walked over to her father when she saw him walk out of the room with someone in his arms.


    Edward frowned and did not answer Elise. He looked at the wound on the girl''s abdomen in horror. It was a long, diagonal gash under her left breast that exposed the red, swollen flesh inside. Some of her flesh was discolored. Foul-smelling greenish-yellow pus oozed from the wound. Worst of all, it was teeming with pulsing maggots that crawled in and out of the burrowed flesh.


    The skin on the back of Elise''s head crawled at the sight of the maggots. Despite that, she knelt beside her father, intending to help. The stench wafted into her nose and she gagged.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Cenric asked.


    ¡°Very sick. Her wound is badly infected.¡±


    ¡°Any chance for her to have avoided the procedure to break their spirits?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell without her awake, but there is a chance if she was unconscious during the procedure,¡± Edward sighed. His did not hold his hopes high.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to help her.¡±


    "But father, we''ve lost our medical supplies," Elise said while covering her nose and mouth.


    "We have some basic supplies in our pack," Cenric said and called out to Greysen to pass their supplies.


    Edward thanked them and got to work. He laid out the supplies and frowned. They were meager-- just some bandages and herbs to prevent infection. It was to be expected, however, since they had a mage that could cure wounds in a few minutes. Nevertheless, Edward got to work by removing the maggots.


    Yu sat in a corner and watched the different activities unfold. Greysen went to Cenric and both of the knights started discussing their findings and next steps. Their voices were low but some words were loud enough for Yu to catch the gist of their conversation. He also watched the knights¡¯ different expressions. Cenric was calm for most of the time but Greysen would get agitated during certain parts of the conversation.


    Greysen pointed towards the bog and the room. Then, his head gestured towards where Yu sat. Yu alerted at their gestures just in time for the two knights to look at him meaningfully. He kept a poker face but his heart pounded hard against his chest. They knew that he lied about his identity. Yu did not know what to tell them.


    ¡®Should I tell them the truth? Even so, would they believe me?¡¯ he thought.


    Yu could only hope that they would not arrest him for espionage. Greysen¡¯s words from before about sword resonance gave him hope. He retracted his gaze and turned to the side. Lana¡¯s body, her face covered with a cloth, laid in a corner. There were barely any traces of blood on her white robes. Her blood was sucked dry, leaving her skin wrinkled and leathery.


    A sudden realization struck Yu saw Lana¡¯s body. The strange energy that surrounded the area was gone. It had disappeared without a trace. This puzzled Yu.


    ¡®When did it disappear?¡¯


    Yu was not the only person who noticed the disappearance of the strange energy. Cenric was equally puzzled. However, he had a hunch to what had happened.


    ¡°Argh, what a headache. I didn¡¯t sign up for this,¡± Greysen grumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair.


    ¡°What are you talking about? You signed up for this when you joined the institution,¡± Cenric said.


    ¡°It was a call to duty,¡± Greysen crossed his arms.


    ¡°Still, you had a choice,¡± Cenric sighed and continued, ¡°Enough of this empty talk. This is the best choice. We¡¯ll take the girl, if she survives, and leave the rest.¡±


    ¡°You mean, kill the rest.¡±


    ¡°... yes.¡±


    ¡°I hope that there isn¡¯t much backlash from the others,¡± Greysen cautioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s my decision. My responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I wish Lana was here so she could think of something else,¡± Greysen muttered.


    Cenric breathed out an extended breath when he heard Lana¡¯s name.


    ¡°There are no other options. She would have come to the same conclusion,¡± he sighed again. His lips tucked into a straight line when he thought of Lana. She was his responsibility too.


    Edward was working on the unconscious girl when he suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, father?¡± Elise asked, puzzled that her father stopped suddenly.


    Upon closer inspection, he realized that the edges of the wound had black tendrils that streaked away from the wound. Edward paused mid-way. It was the second time in the day that he felt helpless.


    ¡°It¡¯s corrupted,¡± Edward whispered, barely audible.


    The already dispirited atmosphere dropped even further after he said that. Any hopes for a survivor were dashed. It was as if he announced her death sentence.


    ¡°Would magic save her?¡± Elise thought and asked.


    ¡°Yes, but--¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no one that can use magic here,¡± Cenric concluded.


    Elise looked up at Cenric, then to her father. She stole a peek at Yu before looking back at the girl again. Memories of Lana performing magic replayed in her mind. She repeated Lana¡¯s instructions in her heart. The nights where she secretly tried to harness magical energy came back to her. She felt that she had almost grasped the magic.


    Her breath hitched as she mustered her courage. She gripped the edges of her skirt and took a few deep breaths before she stated her intention.


    ¡°I-I¡¯d like to cure her with magic,¡± Elise declared, her eyes bright.

 019 You Know Magic?

    "I-I want to cure her with magic," Elise declared, her eyes bright.


    Silence followed her statement. Every person in the group except for Elise herself showed varying degrees of shock, disbelief, and ridicule.


    Elise gulped, her grip on her skirt tightened. Her lips pursed into a straight line as her heart pounded in her chest-- drowning out all sound. Warmth rushed up to her face despite her attempts to steady her quick breaths.


    "I want to cure her with magic," Elise repeated herself-- her voice barely a squeak.


    It was a self-reassuring whisper rather than a declaration of her intentions. Her head drooped to avoid the gazes of the others. A piece of rock on the bare ground became the center of her unfocused stare as she was lost in her own thoughts of self-doubt. Her sudden burst of confidence fizzled out almost instantly when she was put in the spotlight. Their reactions were not what she expected. In fact, she did not expect much. However, their silence deafened her.


    Elise twisted her skirt in her hands. She thought that she could really help the girl. The others might not know but she secretly tried to feel for magic like what Lana had instructed. It was only a short while but she thought that she had felt the magic. Unfortunately, she did not have time to confer with Lana. She was only grasping at strings, however, she had still wanted to try.


    The short silence felt like an eternity before Elise came back to the present. She raised her head and stole a glance at the others.


    "¡­ should leave her if there''s no hope of curing her," Cenric''s voice faded in.


    ''They''re ignoring me!'' Elise realized. Her nervousness was replaced by a sudden flare of anger.


    "There is hope! Father said that magic can cure her!" Elise huffed, calling attention to herself once more.


    Cenric frowned, "Your point?"


    "I want to use magic to cure her," Elise said, her face flushed.


    "This is not the time to jest, girl," Cenric waved his hand in dismissal. He did not even take her seriously.


    "But--" Elise started.


    She turned to her father. However, he was not looking at her. He seemed to be deep in thought. Unable to gain approval from her father, she turned to Gino.


    Gino, startled that he was suddenly in the line of fire of his sister, shrugged.


    "Elise¡­ I mean¡­ Lana did say that magic is difficult¡­" his voice trailed off.


    Disappointment shrouded Elise''s heart. She inadvertently faced Yu-- her face forlorn. He was her last hope. She did not realize that deep down in her heart, she had placed importance on his opinion.


    Their eyes met fleetingly. Within that moment, his deep, dark gray eyes caught her attention. However, other than his impressionable eyes, his face was blank. Once again, she turned away immediately after meeting those eyes. She could not help but shudder at the memory of Yu mercilessly chopping off the head of the slave. His ferocious expression imprinted in her mind.


    ''How is he so calm after what he did? It''s like it never happened,'' Elise felt uneasy and frightened. She did not know how to deal with her feelings about Yu.


    "Elise," Edward said.


    Elise snapped out of her internal turmoil. Her father held her arm gently and brought her to the side.


    "You want to cure her with magic?" Edward asked, his voice soft. His light blue eyes pierced into Elise''s hazel ones.


    Elise gulped and nodded. She had never seen such seriousness from her father. In fact, he looked tired and weary-- as if he had aged a few years within a day. Elise''s heart dropped. The events from the past few days had taken so much away from him.


    "Can you use magic?"


    "We have more pressing matters than to entertain the whims of a child," Greysen interjected.


    "Greysen," Cenric signaled and shook his head.


    Greysen frowned. Nevertheless, he backed down.


    Elise''s mind raced. Why is her father asking such questions at this time? Also, why does Cenric allow her father to do as he pleases? She even felt that Cenric was respectful towards her father.


    "Elise?" Edward asked, waiting for Elise''s reply.


    "I think--" Elise stopped herself. It was not the time to doubt herself.


    ''I need to be confident. I want to use it. I can do it!'' she thought as she collected her confidence.


    "Yes! I can!"


    Elise''s eyes lit up with passion. Her hands still clutched her skirt-- they were steady. Edward smiled slightly as he observed his daughter. His gaze seemed far away as if he was immersed in a distant memory.


    "Father?" Elise looked at her father, puzzled.


    Edward''s eyes regained their focus. He chuckled and shook his head.


    "Just like you mother," he sighed and remarked under his breath.


    Elise could only look at her father quizzically.


    Edward cleared his throat. "Now tell me how you''d use magic. Explain what you feel and the steps to conjure it."


    Elise nodded. "First, I feel for the magic in the air. Like this."


    Elise closed her eyes and spread her senses. She envisioned the magic energy from her surroundings like a blanket that enveloped her. Then, it came. She felt warmth all over her body. It was as if her whole body was immersed in a warm bath. Such was truly a blissful feeling.


    When she was done, Elise opened her eyes and met her father''s proud gaze. She relayed what she felt to him.


    "What''s next?" he asked.


    "Then I recite the prayer?" Elise suggested.


    "Alright, good. Do you remember the prayer to cure wounds?"


    "I.. uh¡­ I don''t, but..." Elise''s heart skipped a beat as she realized that she missed something important.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    She fumbled around the pouch by her waist and dug into it. She felt around in it and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.


    "Here, this is the pra--," Elise stopped as she unfolded it. Her face froze. She frowned and her eyes and drilled into the neat writing on the top of the paper.


    "Protection Prayer," it read.


    In her eagerness, she had forgotten that the prayer in her possession was a protection prayer.


    "I¡­ this¡­ I messed up. How could this be?" Elise said, her shoulders slumped. "Will this be a problem? It will, right? I mean, without the prayer, how am I going to make the spell work?"


    ''How could I have mistaken the prayer in my possession?'' she lamented internally.


    Edward chuckled. Elise noticed something peculiar about her father''s reaction.


    "You knew! You knew that all I have is the prayer for protection!" Elise complained, upset with her father''s teasing at such a serious moment.


    "Alright, alright," Edward soothed his daughter. "It''ll be fine. I know the prayer for curing wounds."


    "You do?" Elise''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Yes, I do. Now come. Let''s cure her first," Edward said as he led Elise back towards the injured girl.


    Elise trailed behind her father, dumbfounded. Her mind raced. When-- how-- did he know the prayer? Realizing something, Elise tugged on her father''s hand.


    "Wait. Father, you know magic?"


    Edward sighed. "Yes, I do. But no matter, we should heal the girl first."


    Once more, Elise was dumbfounded by Edward''s casual statement. She was not the only one; the others in the group stirred in surprise.


    ''How?''


    Her mind was still performing mental gymnastics from the revelation when she noticed that she was suddenly crouched before the girl. The infected wound was right in plain sight. Unlike before, it was free from maggots. However, the holes in flesh burrowed by the maggots stared back at her like multiple eyes. Elise gulped. Once again, her skin crawled and her stomach lurched. Despite that, she managed to hold down her nausea.


    "Put your hands over her wound. Then, feel the magic like what you did from before. When you''re ready, I''ll say the prayer. Just repeat after me," Edward instructed.


    "Okay," Elise answered shakily.


    It finally dawned on her that she was using magic for the first time in her life. Excitement rose together with nervousness in her heart; although the degree of nervousness was higher than excitement.


    ''What if it doesn''t work?'' a small doubtful voice rose in her heart.


    "Relax, I''m here. You''ll do fine," Edward coaxed his daughter. He held her shoulders with a reassuring grip.


    "Okay¡­ okay, okay. Here I go,"


    Elise breathed deeply and concentrated. She closed her eyes and spread her senses. Once again, the soothing warmth enveloped her. Then, she felt her chest warm up too-- meeting the warmth on her skin.


    "Good, very good. Now, remember the feeling that you currently have. You may feel some different sensations when we begin but just focus on the current one. I''m going to start the prayer. Are you ready?"


    Elise nodded. She could not see anything but she had perfect trust in her father. Edward''s voice calmed her nerves like a soothing lullaby.


    [O Ytrea, Goddess of Light,


    Grant thy blessings upon this lowly one.]


    Elise repeated after Edward. The first part of the prayer was a common one often recited by the villagers. However, it had a different effect this time compared to the numerous recitations that she did since young.


    Warmth blossomed all around her body at a higher intensity compared to the warmth from her chest. It strengthened and threatened to overpower her warmth within herself.


    It was then, at a critical moment, where a cool warmth spread from her shoulders. It collected around the warmth in her chest. The warmth and the coolth mingled and mixed. Together, her inner magic energy grew and matched the surrounding magic energy collected around her.


    Elise remembered her father''s words. She focused on her current feelings. The next part of the prayer was not familiar to her.


    [Cure]


    Warm, Gentle,


    Mending, Rejuvenating, Strengthening,


    Dispelling all pain and injuries.


    [Heal]


    As soon as she finished uttering the last word of the prayer, she felt a peculiar flutter in the midst of the warmth in her chest. The little flutter grew into a tremble and soon a faint buzzing sounded in her mind. The intensity grew until magic energy from within her and from the surroundings finally achieved resonance.


    The spell was released. Magic energy poured out from Elise and collected at her hands, before transferring to the wound of the injured girl. There, it neutralized the corruption and proceeded to mend the wound. After a few minutes, the wound was gone and the skin covering it was as good as new. The prayer was completed.


    Elise felt drained. She wobbled and fell forwards in a bout of vertigo. A pair of familiar hands steadied her. She opened her eyes to realize that she was in her father''s embrace.


    "You did it, Elise," Edward whispered, his eyes twinkling with pride.


    Elise sat staring at the fully healed wound, stunned with amazement. She did it. She used magic successfully. She healed the wound. Her mind could not believe that she actually succeeded. Yet, her heart knew.


    It knew that she could do it. It soared with happiness.


    "No way!" Greysen exclaimed in disbelief.


    Elise was brought back down to earth by Greysen''s booming voice. She grinned victoriously.


    "Wow, you did it. You really did it!" Gino exclaimed, amazed at Elise''s feat. "This is unbelievable, amazing! Elise, you''re amazing!"


    He laughed and shook his sister excitedly. Elise felt her vertigo coming back. The world spun.


    "S-stop! I''m going to faint!"


    Gino grinned and released Elise. By then, the group had crowded around her.


    Greysen slapped his forehead. "I don''t believe it! Girl, are you sure that you''ve never used magic before?"


    "No¡­" Elise said sheepishly.


    "It looks like we''ve underestimated you," Cenric said. He eyed Elise.


    Elise felt uneasy under his stare. She fidgeted and looked away.


    "Still, this is unthinkable! She''s such a young girl!" Greysen shook his head. "This boy too! At his age, we''re nothing but squires!"


    Everyone''s attention switched to Yu. He was staring intensely at the unconscious girl that he did not realize that they were looking at him. Elise followed his line of sight and the unconscious girl''s bare torso came into view. Realization struck her.


    "Ah!" Elise exclaimed and covered the girl with her body. "Don''t stare at her like that!"


    "Huh? I was just¡­" Yu trailed off, his face confused. Then, a look of awkwardness flashed across his face when realization hit him. He pursed his lips and turned away in embarrassment.


    "You too, Gino," Elise pouted.


    Gino raised his hands. "I wasn''t staring at her! I swear!"


    Elise narrowed her eyes at her foster brother.


    "Okay, okay¡­ I''ll look elsewhere. Geez..." Gino grumbled and relented. He turned away as per his foster sister''s request.


    A rough piece of cloth appeared in front of Elise.


    "Here, use this," Cenric said.


    Elise looked up. "Thanks."


    She tried to get the cloth from Cenric. However, before she could do so, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over her. She gasped in surprise. She could not find the strength to lift herself up.


    Gino snapped his head back. "What''s wrong?"


    "You need to rest. Magic consumes a lot of energy, especially when it''s your very first time using it. Although we receive blessings from the deities, ultimately, it is our own energy that powers the magic," Cenric explained.


    Elise nodded. However, she was confused. Why did she not feel the fatigue immediately? Unfortunately, she did not have the energy to think about the reason. A haze crept onto the edges of her mind. She just wanted to sleep.


    "Eugene, take Elise somewhere comfortable and let her rest," Edward said, his voice feeble.


    Gino looked at his foster father for a moment with concern. Edward''s pallid complexion and clammy skin were out of the norm. His condition had changed too drastically.


    Gino opened his mouth to say something but Edward gestured with his head, reassuring the former''s concerns and urging him to take care of Elise; all in one motion. Seeing this, Gino gulped down his saliva and helped Elise.


    Elise felt herself lifted up. She tried moving her legs but they felt heavy. Her limbs would respond to her intentions but they were sluggish.


    ''What''s happening? Wasn''t I fine before?'' she thought amidst her dizzy mind.


    The fatigue had suddenly hit her unexpectedly. The next thing she knew, she was lying down under a shade. She felt Gino''s cool hand over her head.


    "Hey, Elise. Are you alright? You don''t look too good."


    Elise heard him and managed a grunt. However, her mind was elsewhere. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt the world spinning around her. Heat flared up her chest and rose to her cheeks. Next was the uncomfortable pounding of her heart against her chest. Breathing came in gasps.


    Something had gone terribly wrong.


    Elise heard Gino''s muffled but frantic voice. Her mind raced. Dread filled her heart. Despite that, she could not bring herself out of her predicament. She vaguely heard voices over her. Her mind slipped away, yearning for coolness to counter the heat building in her chest.


    Just as she wished for, it came. A cool hand held hers. Cool tingling crawled up her arm and blossomed in her chest. A slight breeze caressed her cheeks. Her heart steadied and her breathing eased. Her eyes managed to open a crack.


    A pair of familiar yet haunting dark gray eyes greeted her. Mesmerized, Elise stared into their depths. They seemed to have a radiance of their own deep behind the dark irises. With a flutter of her eyelids as well as her heart, the radiance disappeared-- like a fleeting shadow.


    A familiar calmness washed over her. With that, Elise fell into a deep and comfortable slumber, with her hand tightly holding Yu''s.

 020 Trust

    Sleep did not come easy that night. More accurately, it did not come at all for Yu as he lied on his back and stared sleeplessly through the forest canopy at the dark sky. There was not a star to be seen, for they had hidden behind the dense clouds that blanketed the heavens above.


    How many nights had it been since he had awoken without his memories? Yu had long lost count of it. He only knew that he wanted to leave the forest-- immediately-- if possible. The views in the forest had become monotonous to him, not to mention that he had almost lost his life countless times in this maze of trees.


    The dying embers snapped, barely illuminating the outline of the tree branches, making them look like gnarled limbs that reached out to capture him. This image reminded him of the twisted lianas and the bog that reeked of death. Fortunately, they had moved a distance from the bog for the night. Yu took a deep breath and was glad that the air was clear.


    Yu sighed and closed his eyes, attempting to sleep. However, images of the strung up children flashed in his mind. Their pale, lifeless faces leaped at him. He snapped his eyes open and gasped. The gnarled limbs above met his vision yet again.


    ''Damn it,'' he cursed as he held his hand to his head.


    Then, deep, rhythmic breaths of the others entered his ears. Yu thought absent-mindedly about how they were able to sleep so soundly-- carelessly even.


    ''Right, Cenric had an artifact that acts something like a [Protection] magic,'' Yu recalled. He sat up and gazed over the others. It seemed like they were all fast asleep, with the exception of Elise and the injured girl from before who were unconscious.


    "Can''t sleep?" A gruff voice interrupted Yu''s thoughts.


    Yu was surprised but quickly recovered. He turned around to see Edward''s faint outline on the ground.


    "You too."


    Edward chuckled. "What''s on your mind?"


    Yu sighed. A flurry of uncountable thoughts swept through his mind. A long pause followed as he tried to organize his thoughts.


    "Various things," Yu frowned. He only managed two words after such deliberation.


    Edward grunted and was silent while he waited for Yu to continue. Silence accompanied them as they stared into the starless sky. Despite how long Edward waited, Yu was silent.


    Edward sighed. "You should try to sleep. We still have a long way to travel tomorrow," he said as he closed his eyes.


    It was not long before Edward opened his eyes again. The boy had not moved.


    "Tell me what''s bothering you. Perhaps it''ll clear your mind and help you sleep," Edward suggested as he shifted to a more comfortable position.


    Yu hesitated but decided against talking. "It''s alright. I''m sorry for disturbing you," he lied back down and turned his back towards the older man.


    Edward frowned. "Boy, it''ll do you no good to bottle up your feelings. Tell me."


    Another beat of silence passed. Yu was not sure how to start. Too many thoughts weighed on his mind.


    "I¡­" he trailed.


    "Just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind," Edward prompted. He seemed to understand Yu''s problem.


    "I wonder how they''re sleeping so well," Yu finally said. It was a rhetorical question. Instead of addressing his real concerns, he deflected them instead. It was evident from his level voice that he did not really care about the sleeping habits of the others.


    Edward chuckled but some saliva got caught in his throat. A coughing fit rang through the otherwise silent night. He gasped and it sounded like he would cough his lungs out.


    "Are you alright?" Yu shot up. His hand accidentally brushed against Edward''s-- it was icy. Yu pulled his hand back reflexively in shock.


    "You''re cold," his deadpan voice betrayed the concern that he felt.


    "I''m fine," Edward managed a coarse reply. He cleared his throat and pulled his hand away.


    Yu frowned. He knew that Edward was hiding something, not to say lying. Recognition flashed in his eyes as he recalled that Elise was just as cold before. He grabbed Edward''s arm willfully and waited for the tingling sensation that he felt in the afternoon to come.


    However, he felt nothing except for Edward''s icy arm. He was puzzled.


    ''Why isn''t it happening now?''


    Yu closed his eyes and tried to recall the sensations from when he linked hands with Elise. He frowned. There was none.


    Another cold hand held his own and gently pushed it away.


    "I told you that it only works with Elise," Edward said quietly.


    Yu frowned. "I don''t understand."


    He recalled the incident from the afternoon. Elise had had a sudden attack of some kind. She was as pale as a sheet and had difficulty breathing. Her icy skin had left an impression on Yu.


    When that happened, he instinctively held her hand. That was when the tingling sensations on his skin started. As he held her hand, his hand gradually numbed and Elise''s condition changed for the better.


    Since then, he was told that Elise had suffered from a case of over-drafting of magic energy. This happens when a mage does not have enough magic energy to sustain a spell. The side effects range from slight dizziness to shortness of breath and eventual death.


    Yu managed to somehow transfer some of his magic energy to Elise, thus relieving her from her overdraft. If he had succeeded with Elise, why not with Edward as well?


    "Why?" Yu asked again.


    "Our magic energies don''t resonate with each other," came Edward''s curt reply.


    Yu frowned. The answer did not satisfy him.


    Edward seemed to feel his frustration and explained, "Magic energy is closely related to each person''s unique life force. That''s why latent magic energies within each person are unique.


    He paused and frowned before continuing, "That''s what we know anyway. What happened today was nothing short of a miracle."


    Yu worked his jaw. He could not accept Edward''s answer. A miracle? Nevermind that, but latent magic energy exists in everyone and is unique from one to another, yet why did his and Elise''s resonate? Were their signatures the same? Yu felt that it should not be the case.


    If the first statement was absolute, then it was impossible for their energies to resonate.


    "This doesn''t make sense," Yu mumbled.


    "What doesn''t?"


    "If I''m able to resonate with Elise, I should be able to do the same with you."


    Edward smiled. "You''re half right. Experienced mages are able to manipulate their own energies to match others. This way, they can achieve resonance with anyone. It''s one of the common practices to heal someone using resonance."


    Yu snapped up in attention.


    ''A mage?'' He snatched that small detail like a starving beast and came to a hypothesis. He did not wait to test his guess and grabbed Edward''s arm once more.


    ''Manipulate my own magic energy¡­'' Yu frowned as he tried to think of a way to manipulate magic. ''That tingling sensation¡­ Where is it?''


    Once again, Edward''s icy hand rested on Yu''s-- stopping him mid-way.


    "You can''t. You''re not a mage," came Edward''s short and straightforward statement.


    Yu felt a blow to his self-esteem, yet he did not know why. Yu swallowed down his frustration but did not concede. Instead, he probed, "You could at least guide me. Like what you did with Elise."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Edward''s dry laughter rang in fits and starts, interlaced with coughs and gasps. Yu frowned and shifted his body subconsciously. He did not think that he said anything funny.


    ''... and you really shouldn''t be laughing in your condition,'' Yu narrowed his eyes and thought.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t mean to laugh at you," Edward gasped, finally catching his breath. "It''s just¡­ you kids are so willful. Did Elise rub off some of her stubbornness onto you?"


    Yu pursed his lips and ignored the older man''s comment.


    "Well?" he prompted, expecting Edward to explain himself.


    "Hmm?" Edward did not catch his drift.


    "What do you mean by ''You can''t''?" Yu grumbled. Annoyance from his already present frustration arose.


    Edward grinned. "Oh, you do have an attitude despite being quiet for most of the time," he teased.


    Yu scowled. "Stop," he growled.


    The older man chuckled once more. It seemed that he enjoyed teasing the children.


    "I don''t mean ill. It''s great that you can hold your ground. I was worried that you might be a pushover with your silence. Remember this next time whenever you doubt yourself," Edward explained with a smile.


    ''Doubt myself? Since when?'' Yu was confused. ''What is he talking about?''


    Edward chuckled once again at the silence. Yu was beginning to despise the older man''s signature chuckle.


    "What?" he asked, exasperated.


    "Were you not doubting yourself earlier?"


    "No."


    "You did."


    "Not."


    Edward broke into another smile. "You were thinking too much."


    Yu frowned. His eyebrows were almost touching his eyes. Edward would burst into another bout of laughter-coughing if he saw the boy''s face.


    ''How do they relate?'' he huffed. He could not understand the direction of the conversation. It had derailed with no hope of being back on track.


    Yu shook his head. "You''re not making sense."


    Edward sighed and explained, "You were overthinking because you doubt yourself. You can''t even answer me. I asked you about what''s bothering you, but you avoided my question."


    Edward''s accurate guess caught Yu off guard. "I was just¡­ uhh¡­ There were¡­" his voice trailed.


    ''¡­ a lot of things in my mind that I didn''t know how to start,'' he completed his statement in his head. His mouth, however, was frozen.


    "There, you see now? You''re worried that what you say might cause unwanted problems. You doubt your own words. But it''s alright, we can work the problems out." Edward explained.


    ''Do I¡­ really?'' Yu thought. He did not quite agree with Edward. He felt that he just did not know where to start.


    "You can trust me," Edward said after another beat of silence, his voice low and sincere.


    ''Trust¡­?''


    Yu looked towards where Edward''s face should be. The lack of light made it hard for him to gauge the older man''s expression. He licked his dry lips and pursed them as he thought about the latter''s statement.


    "I¡­ trust you¡­ already," Yu started and paused, reorganizing his words in his head. "My life¡­ you saved it. So, I trust you."


    ''Yes,'' he thought. If he had not trusted Edward, he would not have told Edward about his dreams. In fact, Edward was the only person that he could trust. Compared to the others, Yu was most expressive when he talks to Edward. He did not hold back his facial expressions and body language consciously. In other words, he was most relaxed in Edward''s company.


    Still, Edward asked Yu to trust him. Was the trust not deep enough?


    Silence engulfed them again. It seemed that Edward was in deep thought. Yu shifted his weight subconsciously as he waited for the older man. Then, realization dawned on him. Was Edward teasing him on purpose to teach him a lesson? Yu shook his head. He could not see through this man.


    Edward exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Yu¡¯s eyes widened. He really did not understand the purpose of this conversation. He wanted answers, not some soul searching puzzle about "trust".


    "Just keep that in mind and try to trust yourself more often too," Edward smiled gently in the darkness.


    Yu blinked silently, digesting his thoughts.


    "Well, we should get back on topic. Hmm, where were we?" Edward thought aloud. "Ah¡­ we were saying why you can''t be a mage."


    "Yes¡­" Yu nodded glumly. He was not sure if he wanted to continue the conversation.


    "To be honest, I withheld some information about when we first found you," Edward started, his tone apologetic.


    Yu turned his full attention once more.


    "In addition to all of your physical injuries, you were hurt by magic too. I used magic resonance to heal you."


    Yu gulped. The extra information did not help but raised more questions instead.


    "During resonance, I felt that your body lacked an important factor in mages. It''s the ability to collect magic energy from the surroundings," Edward sighed.


    "How would you know that?" Yu asked in disbelief.


    "It takes a mage to know another," Edward said simply.


    "So you just know it?" Yu frowned skeptically. The simple answer was not enough.


    Edward shrugged. "You lack the blessings of a deity. Humans, by default, can''t manipulate magic energy. They need the blessings of deities to do so."


    "Blessings?"


    Edward pursed his lips. "It''s faith. You need to have faith. In addition, your livelihood has to be in accordance with the principles of the deity. In return, the deity bestows part of its strength to the mage to manipulate magic energy."


    Yu was silent as took in the new information. However, his heart felt unsettled.


    ''Not having faith forfeits the right of a person to be a mage?'' the whole idea seemed absurd in Yu''s mind.


    "Why?" he managed only to utter a word and held his head in between his hands.


    "Then¡­ this¡­ this doesn''t make sense," Yu shook his head. He wanted to believe Edward''s words, but he felt that they were wrong.


    ''It''s happening again...'' he thought.


    The weird gut feeling he that he sometimes had throughout the journey interfered with his logical mind. It was an uncanny feeling like he knew what he had to do or that he understood something-- yet, he did not fully understand the reason for it. Like a reflection in water-- whole when left alone, yet disappears when one attempts to hold it.


    Conflicted thoughts clouded his mind as they whizzed one after another in his head. One thought would surface before the former coalesced. It was too quick for his conscious mind to keep track of. In addition, they were each screaming for his attention. He could not even hear himself think-- they were deafening.


    "Stop!" he growled under his breath and shook his head furiously.


    ''Stop, stop, STOP!'' his mind screamed as he covered his ears to block the sound from within. He wanted the voices of doubt to stop. He wanted to believe Edward''s truth.


    After waking up without his memories, he had been absorbing all the information around him like a sponge. To him, Edward, the father figure''s words were absolute. He was the lost lamb while Edward was the guiding shepherd.


    Yet, his gut refused to follow the guide. His mind, however, wanted to trust Edward.


    ''Is this what he meant by not trusting? I need trust?''


    Yu''s mind spiraled into confusion. Just then, Edward''s ice-cold hand jolted him back to reality with a tap.


    "Hey, you alright?"


    Yu recoiled from the touch, panting.


    "I..." his voice trailed. A constricting pain threatened to weigh down on his head.


    "Overthinking? Too many thoughts on your mind?" Edward asked casually.


    Yu nodded his head. He could not deny it. Edward was right this time around.


    The older man eyed the boy. His gaze seemed to penetrate the darkness. "Do you want to continue this conversation?" he asked with caution.


    "I¡­ I want answers," Yu whispered.


    He could not go on like this. He wanted the confusion to go away. Too many things had happened. Too many things that he did not understand.


    "I need answers. I¡­ c-can''t go on like this. I want¡­ need¡­ it has to stop, to go away. It hurts¡­ hurts so much¡­" Yu muttered through clenched teeth. A searing pain burned through his head.


    The dam had finally broken. His dammed up thoughts flushed through the broken barriers like roaring rapids that shook his body.


    ''I don''t know what''s going on. I don''t know what I''m doing. I don''t even know myself! All of a sudden, without thinking, I took the sword.. and¡­ and-and killed someone! I don''t even know what to feel! Now you''re telling me that I''m not a mage.. but why¡­ how did I resonate with Elise? How can I use the sword so well? You said that it''s a miracle¡­ but I need to know¡­ Why? Why is this happening? Why can''t I remember? I want to know¡­ but I don''t know¡­


    I don''t know anything anymore¡­''


    The torrent of thoughts shook his body as he sat curled up like a ball with his head in his hands. To the outside world, he was like a lost and frightened child.


    Edward watched Yu in silence as he waited for the boy to sort out his feelings. Yu''s current state was worlds apart when he first woke up without his memories. One would recall the abnormal stillness in his eyes and voice when he first realized that he had lost his memories.


    The past few days of life-threatening events that stacked one after another did not allow time for him to properly process his thoughts and feelings. Now under Edward''s prompts, only did he have a chance to deal head-on with his pent-up emotions.


    Time passed and Yu''s emotions eventually settled down. Despite the outburst, he did not utter a single syllable nor shed a single tear. He merely suffered in silence.


    "You don''t need all the answers," Edward whispered.


    Yu listened in silence, unmoving.


    "The world is vast and knowledge is in abundance. Mysteries shroud many parts of the world. We are simply nothing but a speck in it. So, knowing the answers to every puzzle is nigh impossible."


    Yu nodded half-heartedly. He was too tired to refute, let alone, think.


    Edward sighed before he continued, "Searching for answers is a good thing, like what our forefathers had constantly done over the centuries. But did the answers that they seek appear immediately whenever they want them? Of course not. They take time, and time is what you need right now. Not answers."


    Yu frowned. The urge to know the answers was slowly killing his sanity. If he were to let time take its course, would it not kill his sanity entirely?


    "You want answers to your past. You are frustrated because you can''t remember your identity-- your sense of self. I understand that, I really do. But I want you to think of it in a different way," Edward explained and paused to catch Yu''s attention.


    The boy raised his head from his knees and faced Edward. He did not expect anything and was merely being polite to the older man.


    "I want you to try to think more about the present and the future. Use your actions to create your identity. Instead of asking ''Why am I doing this'' every time something unexplainable happpens, say ''I''m doing this because I can''. Accept whatever that you''re doing as part of who you are. After all, your past does not define who you really are."


    Yu stared into nothingness silently, processing Edward''s words. They were a mouthful.


    ¡®Your past does not define who you are¡­¡¯ this phrase repeated in his mind.


    ¡°Your memories will return eventually. In the meantime, just continue to survive. Our goal is to reach a safe place. Focus on that for now and I''m sure that we can sort everything out afterward," Edward smiled in the darkness.


    Yu nodded sullenly. Emotional fatigue crippled his mind. He listened half-heartedly. However, Edward was right. He will sort things out later.


    Realizing that Yu was tired, Edward urged the boy to sleep.


    "We''ll have a long journey tomorrow. I''m sure that the knights will brief us more on that," he said as he shifted to a comfortable position.


    Silence blanketed them once more after Yu lied down and gazed at the dark sky once more. He did not know what to think but at least his mind was not as active as before.


    Edward''s sudden coughing interrupted the silence.


    "Will you be fine?" Yu asked.


    "¡­ I''ll manage," came Edward''s coarse reply.


    "Will Elise be fine?" Yu suddenly thought of Elise.


    "She should wake up tomorrow just fine."


    With that, Yu finally his eyes and finally let sleep cover his consciousness.

 021 Edge of the Forest

    It was early dawn when the group sat around the extinguished embers in silence. Both the girl and Elise were still unconscious from the day before. Gino was tending to his sister with a damp cloth in his hand. He looked over to the others that were sitting in a cluster away from him and frowned slightly.


    The morning felt fresh with the cool mist that hung in the air. However, the mood in the air was nothing like the freshness of the morning.


    The knights, Yu, and Edward sat facing each other. It was as if a court session was in order.


    Yu sat crossed-legged and inhaled sharply. The cold air did nothing to calm himself down. Instead, it helped him sharpen his mind as he observed Cenric''s unkempt face.


    "Well? Will you tell us who you really are?" The leader of the knights asked with crossed arms. His eyes squinted slightly as he waited for Yu''s answer.


    The boy shifted his body uncomfortably under the questioning gazes of both Cenric and Greysen as he thought about his answer. Should he tell them the truth? His mind spun. Even if he told them the truth, they might not believe him. He needed allies to support his claim.


    Yu glanced over to Edward and caught the older man''s attention. The latter nodded with a gentle smile-- an expression unbefitting his sickly appearance.


    "You''d better tell us the truth, boy. It''s impossible that a simple village kid like you claimed to be could perform those moves. It pains me to say this, but even Cenric and I can¡¯t do what you did," Greysen chimed in with a rather grouchy face.


    Cenric remained silent and waited. His finger tapped a few times against his arm before it stopped and gripped his arm abruptly.


    "Who are you?" he asked, his voice soft yet forceful.


    "I¡­" Yu gulped. "I don''t know," came his straight-forward answer. He decided to tell them the truth after all.


    "You don''t know?" Greysen asked, his voice raised a pitch.


    "I can''t remember," Yu said through gritted teeth. His eyes looked straight into Cenric''s, ignoring Greysen''s accusing stares.


    Cenric returned Yu''s gaze. The taller man looking down on the boy. Cenric was silent as he held the gaze.


    "Is that the best excuse you can come up with? Even if you wanted to lie, you should at least come up with a believable story," Greysen scoffed.


    "It is the truth." Yu paused and arranged the words in his head. "It was about two weeks ago when Edward and the villagers found me unconscious in the forest. I was injured badly and they nursed me back to health. When I woke up, I realized that I could not remember who I was or any part of my past."


    "How''s that possible? You simply don''t forget everything," Greysen frowned.


    Seeing Yu cornered, Edward stepped into the conversation.


    "It''s possible. When we found him, his injuries were very severe. His head was almost split open. His combined injuries can cause significant damages to his mind."


    Greysen shook his head, "So he hit his head and forgets everything? Sounds absurd."


    "I agree." The silent Cenric finally spoke.


    Yu exhaled. They did not believe him after all. How else can he gain their trust?


    Since telling the truth did not work, he decided to shift the conversation into another direction. He had quickly picked up on this trick after conversing with Edward the night before.


    "This is the truth but you''ve chosen not to trust my words. I have laid out the facts. How else can I convince you when the truth does not? Is my true identity that important?"


    Hearing this, Cenric smiled.


    "I did not say that I didn''t trust your little tale. I merely agree that it sounds absurd. If it were someone else, I would have bound you immediately and not have a conversation like this."


    "Why not?" Yu asked.


    "It''s because I trust Edward''s words. Also, we know that you don''t have evil intentions. We explained that yesterday. Even if you are lying, it should be fine for now," Cenric explained.


    "Sword resonance," Yu whispered.


    Cenric raised his sword. "Indeed. This blessed sword resonates with those who have wholesome hearts. Despite your brutality, your heart is pure."


    Yu grunted. It was another confusing term and a situation that did not make perfect sense.


    ¡®Pure heart? Whatever that means,¡¯ he scoffed internally.


    He would deal with the questions later. His gaze went to Edward questioningly. Why did the knight trust the village healer''s words?


    Cenric followed Yu''s gaze.


    "I trust Edward because I am quite sure that he was of us-- from the Institution of White Knights. Is my guess right, Mr. Grimlich?" he bowed slightly towards Edward.


    Edward coughed weakly and frowned. "You can think whatever you want. "


    Yu was amazed. The prideful knight had bowed towards the old unassuming older man dressed in ragged clothes. It seemed the identity as a knight of the Institution was something important. Despite retired, they were still treated with respect.


    "So, you believe my circumstances?" Yu asked. He wanted a verbal confirmation from the knight.


    "We have no choice but to believe you for now. Sorry, kid. Times are difficult. We need to be cautious about a lot of things. Although, we are curious about yourself. How are you so skillful, yet so young?" Cenric mused aloud.


    Yu remained silent. He would want to know the answer to that question as well.


    "On a serious note, we need to be extra cautious from now onwards," Cenric added.


    "Aren''t we already cautious from the beginning?" Greysen asked without thinking.


    Cenric sighed. "Didn''t you hear them? The boy was severely injured. With his level of skill, his enemy must be a lot stronger than him. And we have yet to meet such a foe."


    "Well, that''s¡­" Greysen gaped. "They''re probably not in the are anymore."


    "We don''t know that, do we?" Cenric scowled. Then, after realizing something, he whipped his head back towards Yu.


    "¡­ which reminds me¡­ are your injuries and the bizarre ritual somewhat related?"


    Yu tensed and his leather choker felt tight against his throat. It was a possibility that he could not deny. The coincidences that surrounded his situation were, unfortunately, uncanny.


    "What''s next?" Yu asked. He could not stand the intense scrutiny that he was put under since waking up.


    Cenric smiled wryly. "The next thing is to get home, to Fort Acker."


    *****


    The rest of the morning was spent tying up loose ends. They broke camp and went back to the wooden dwelling by the bog.


    "It''s pointless," Greysen said and kicked away a dead branch.


    "We''re leaving some food for them. They will at least have a better chance of survival," Cenric argued.


    "The food won''t last that long, you know that. Besides, their souls are broken. They won''t survive anyway."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Both knights stared at each other, unwilling to back down.


    "Why not kill them? End their suffering?" Yu said suddenly.


    His words were like a hammer striking an anvil in the dead of the night. The knights frowned disapprovingly at his suggestion.


    Yu was taken aback. He did not think that his words were any different from Greysen''s a few days before. The towering knight had wanted to end his life to prevent his suffering. As he recalled that memory, he stared at Greysen. The words were clear in his head even though the pain had blotted out half of his senses.


    Both of the knights grunted uncomfortably under Yu''s stare.


    Cenric cleared his throat. "I''m leaving some food here. We have more than enough for the journey." He held the bag with their supplies and stepped back into the dreaded room with the people inside.


    "It''s pointless," Greysen grumbled under his breath.


    Yu shuddered as he looked into the dark room. The hanging corpses, were they taken down and buried? The knights and Edward did not mention anything about them. Although curious, he did not have the heart to ask.


    He also thought that the actions of the knights were contradictory. They speak of fairness and honor, but oftentimes the lines were so blurred that the knights did not seem to realize it themselves.


    He looked around. Just the previous day, it was carnage and blood. One day had not even fully passed but the forest repaired part of the damages. The bodies that they hastily covered with shrubs had almost disappeared under new growing ferns. The forest was truly alive-- its liveliness uncanny.


    Next was Lana''s burial. The journey was long and they could not bring her body back to the fort to be buried. In the end, the forest was her final resting place. The burial was simple: the knights lowered her body in the ground with her personal belongings. The earth was shoveled back into the ground, covering Lana''s entire being-- protecting it from the world above. A simple marker made of wood and some rocks were placed above her grave.


    Nobody spoke much during the whole process. When the marker was finally erected, Cenric removed a chain from his neck and hung it over the wooden marker. He knelt in front of the grave with his head bowed. He whispered some words and kissed the marker tenderly. His body heaved and shuddered for a brief moment before he quickly recovered.


    It was just like that. There were no grandiose speeches of sacrifice and honor. No heartfelt eulogies from her comrades. Just a quiet, simple gesture from a loved one.


    Yu watched on. He felt pity. Lana, after all, was kind and genuinely cared for them. She had also saved his life twice. The second time, however, was her sacrifice for him. In his heart, he wished that he could have done more so that no one would get sacrificed. He dreaded the feeling of helplessness.


    ''Thank you, Lana. I will not forget your kindness. Goodbye.''


    *****


    The group walked for half a day after leaving the wooden dwelling of death.


    "It''s been a long way, isn''t it?" Gino turned and grinned at Yu. ¡°I wonder what this Fort Acker looks like. I¡¯ve never been away from the village.


    Yu nodded. He held the makeshift stretcher in his hands and trudged along. The sleeping Elise was in it. Her small frame bounced with every step that they took. It was amazing that she could sleep in such a movement.


    The journey was slow and cautious because they had to take care of two unconscious people. Also, Cenric took extra care to pick the safest part of their route.


    Edward shuffled and stumbled along with the group. His weakened body had affected his ability to travel well. Cenric occasionally swept a worried glance over to Edward and offered to take more breaks. However, the older man declined and insisted that they travel as fast as possible.


    "I''m sorry that we can''t do more for you," Cenric had said with regret in his voice and glanced over to the children.


    It was the look on Cenric''s face-- the lightly frowned eyebrows, his lips tightly in a slight grimace, and the minute unwillingness of Cenric to look at the Gino and Elise-- that created unease at the pit of Yu''s stomach.


    They knew something, Cenric and Edward, yet they chose not to talk about it. It was a tacit understanding between the two that irked Yu. Yet, he knew that it was not the best decision to ask them. They would not admit the truth anyway.


    Yu sighed and looked at Edward''s back. Foreboding overshadowed his heart as he saw the slightly hunched stature of the man that he relied on for the past few days. The world felt gloomier as he dwelled upon it.


    It did not sit right with him. Yet, there was nothing that he could do.


    ''Why is it always like this? Why am I so¡­ helpless?'' he thought with clenched teeth.


    His gaze lowered and Elise''s peaceful face came into his view. Still thinking about his helplessness, he stared absent-mindedly at Elise before tripping on uneven ground. The sudden erratic movement jolted the stretcher and she slid off the side.


    Yu snapped his hand out to stop her fall. Unfortunately, the weight on the stretcher was too much for one hand to handle. It tilted and Elise fell onto the ground. With a surprised grunt, Yu caught Elise with his outstretched hand but the three of them tumbled into each other.


    "Ow! What the hell?" Gino rubbed his behind.


    "Sorry," Yu mumbled.


    "Oh, the beauty caught your attention, eh?" Greysen jibed.


    Yu ignored the knight and tried to free his pinned arm. Just then, Elise stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked blearily at him. Yu, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at her. Their faces were closer than what he was comfortable with.


    "Elise! You''re awake!" Gino exclaimed.


    "Huh?" Elise mumbled. She was confused.


    Yu tore his gaze from her and looked at Gino. He signaled with his eyes for help.


    Unfortunately for Yu, Gino did not understand his signal and was too occupied with Elise.


    "Elise! How are you feeling? Can you hear me?" his questions prattled the half-awaken Elise as he shook her with his hands.


    Elise pushed Gino¡¯s hands away. ¡°S-stop shaking me! I¡¯m getting dizzy!¡±


    ¡°Heh, she¡¯s fine alright,¡± Greysen smirked.


    Yu sighed. He looked up helplessly to the sky with his free hand on his head. It seemed that his pinned arm would not be free at any moment.


    *****


    The rest of the day passed without much incident and they quickly made camp for the night. However, after dinner, Elise approached Yu after a whole day of silence. She sat beside him sheepishly, uncertain of what to say. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.


    "What is it?" Yu asked.


    "I uhh¡­" she pursed her lips. "I just want to say that I''m sorry for avoiding you before."


    Yu''s eyebrows arched a fraction but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.


    "I shouldn''t have done that. It''s just-- I was shocked, you know when you did¡­ did that."


    "Did what?"


    "When you killed the man."


    "Oh."


    Elise turned red at her ears. "I didn''t know how to face you at the time. You were so scary!"


    "Mhmm, I see."


    Elise grew flustered at his reaction. "Ah, I mean you''re not a scary person! You''re just different at that time. But it''s okay, you''re still Yu!" she explained animatedly.


    Yu''s expression softened as he watched Elise fumbling with her words. A warm feeling blossomed in his heart.


    "I understand," he said softly.


    "Huh? Understand? You do?"


    Yu nodded. "¡­ and it''s okay."


    "It''s okay? Really?" Elise''s eyes rounded.


    Yu nodded. The presence of Elise was like a burst of fresh air. Her honesty was refreshing compared to the layers of deceit from the knights.


    "Okay! I just want to make sure that you understand that I think that you''re not a scary person. I was shocked at the time. I didn''t know what to do and how to react. I also hope that you don''t think that I''m avoiding you, you know, I just don''t know how to look at you because every time I do, I remember that guy¡­ in-in blood. It was really scary. B-but you''re not a scary person! You saved my life! Twice! And you''re a nice person!"


    Elise''s eyes shone like stars in the firelight. She beamed. The words that flew out from her mouth were unstoppable like a hurricane that swept Yu''s mind into temporary confusion.


    "Oh." Yu blinked a few times, his mouth slightly open.


    "I''m really glad to have met you!" Elise added.


    Yu frowned slightly. He felt strange that Elise thought so highly of him.


    ''A nice person? Am I, really?''


    Yu maintained his silence and turned away from Elise. He stared into the embers while Elise waited for his reply. A sigh escaped Elise''s mouth when the silence was prolonged.


    Just then, Gino popped his head in between them and cleared his throat.


    "What are you two whispering about? Are you bullying my sister, Yu?" he grinned.


    "What?" Yu snapped his head towards Gino in confusion.


    "Aww, you see, Elise here is almost in tears!" Gino teased and pinched his sister''s cheeks.


    "Ouch! What are you doing?" Elise cried and slapped Gino''s hands away.


    "Testing to see if you''re still in this world," Gino laughed.


    "Why, you!" Elise fumed.


    Their short banter was interrupted by Cenric''s stern warning.


    "Keep it down you three. It''s late. Go to sleep."


    "Okay," the siblings chimed while Yu simply nodded his head. Elise grimaced and rubbed her cheeks. She looked at Gino and harrumphed.


    Gino merely shrugged and gave Yu a knowing glance. The latter kept a poker face and ignored Gino. It was his little revenge for the incident in the afternoon. Besides, Gino accused him.


    "What?" Gino mouthed.


    Yu shook his head and lied down to sleep. He could not be bothered with Gino''s shenanigans.


    *****


    Days passed and the trek through the forest felt endless. They made steady progress. However, the injured girl was still unconscious and had to be carried by the boys.


    Edward''s health was deteriorating. He had frequent bouts of breathlessness and was getting weaker by the day. Edward would adamantly refuse help from either of the children but would accept help from the knights. There was nothing much that they could do expect to gather some herbs. They at least provided some relief to Edward''s pains.


    It was the sixth day since the attack.


    "Look!" Gino exclaimed. He pointed towards a clearing beyond the trees. "Is that the prairie?"


    "It is," Cenric replied solemnly. "Once we reach the edge of the forest, we should be able to Fort Acker from a distance.


    "Oh my god! We''ve finally arrived!" Gino pumped his fist into the air with gusto.


    "Not quite yet. There is still half a day''s journey at least after we reach the clearing.


    The blonde boy''s fist lowered slowly. "Oh¡­ but still!"


    "Since we''re almost there, I might as well give you this now," Cenric said and he handed a mantle to Yu.


    Yu looked at Cenric questioningly.


    "Put this on. Your hair attracts too much attention."


    "Thanks," Yu obliged and slipped it over his head. It covered his hair and his face was partly hidden in the shadows underneath the mantle.


    "Perfect. Let''s go." Cenric smiled.


    Their steps were lighter and their paces quicker after they realized that they were near the edge of the forest. Each one of them could not wait to leave the forest.


    The blazing sun shone on them when they finally stepped out of the forest. They were finally free of the canopy that shielded them from the sun rays. Yu squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change of light.


    Then, his eyes grew wide as he saw an impressive fortress in the distance. Its massive dark walls were bluish like faraway mountains. He could faintly see rolling farmlands spread out around the fortress. A long road snaked into his view from the east. People dotted the road-- seemingly crawling along its length.


    The children stood agape at this view. Yu brimmed with excitement and hope. Finally, it was time for him to step into a new place.


    Cenric''s voice floated in, barely registered in their heads. "There it is, my friends-- Fort Acker."