by Brandon Chen
Ugh! Why the hell did he care about what she thought or how she felt? All that mattered was killing the king. Why was he even considering her feelings? The old man deserved every spike of pain that he would get from a blade driving through his chest. He deserved it all!
The boy closed his eyes, feeling heat rising to his face as he exhaled a deep breath. He was frustrated with himself. What did he want—to see Aika or to complete his mission? In truth, he wanted both. And there was no way he could keep Aika satisfied with him. He would have to kill the king before her. Hopefully she would understand why he wanted to do this. No, he didn’t want to do this. He had to do this.
Keimaro lowered his head as his teeth ground together. He’d promised. He would kill every last man that got in his way, and he would make the entire empire of Faar suffer for what they’d done to him. Nothing else mattered.
The Fierce Wolf
Yata’s eyes were closed, and he was locked in a deep darkness. His body felt like a feather floating through the air. He was just about to drift into sleep when he felt a nudge. The single touch was enough to make his eyes snap open, and he grabbed Gavin by the ear, making the boy yelp in pain. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, huh?” he snapped, pulling the boy’s earlobe as he snarled into the soldier’s ear. “What do you think is so freaking important that you have to wake me up in the middle of my nap?”
“Well … there’s a guy,” Gavin grunted, wincing as he balanced on one foot, “and he’s been standing outside of our window for the past hour and a half. He’s got a black cloak and looks really ominous, so I figured I’d tell you….”
Black cloak? Yata released Gavin’s ear and stood, pushing the boy onto the bed. He snatched his bat off of the wooden table and spun it in his hand as he walked toward the window. Sure enough, there was a black-cloaked man standing across the road from him. His head was lowered so it was impossible to see his face, which was cast in shadows by his cowl. Was it possible that this guy was a Bount? No, the style of the cloak was a bit different than what Yata remembered—and if it was, the Bount probably would’ve attacked by now. So, what was this guy doing here?
A carriage rode by, making Yata blink in confusion. A carriage? He had thought that carriages weren’t allowed in this part of town. Just as he had suspected, the cloaked figure was gone the very moment the horses left. His heart skipped a beat as he caught a flicker of movement, just before the window shattered. Glittering glass flew through the air and rained down on Yata, whose body had already solidified into a strong metal. The boy stumbled backward, raising his bat as he saw the cloaked figure standing in front of him.
Gavin had unsheathed his sword and was holding it out in front of him as well, his heart racing. “I told you that he was ominous!”
“Who are you?” Yata demanded, ignoring Gavin.
The cloaked figure reached upward and pulled his cowl back, revealing an incredible, unnatural sight. His hair was spiky and snow-white, something that both Yata and Gavin had never seen before. His eyes were a bright turquoise, making his face stand out even more than it had otherwise. The boy himself looked to be only around nineteen, yet he smiled confidently in the face of the two armed opponents before him. He threw his hands into the air and laughed. He called sarcastically, “Oh man, you got my weakness! Bats and small knives. I suppose I might as well surrender myself and tell you everything.” He lowered his hand and struck out with lightning speed.
Yata was thrown backward, not understanding what had happened. The world spun at ridiculous speed as he found himself tumbling, breaking through solid walls and flying out into the open air. He grunted, smashing into the wall of the building across the street from the inn. The blow hadn’t dealt much damage; Yata felt as if he had been punched by a three-year-old. But the fact that he had literally been thrown straight through a building from a single blow meant that his opponent was strong. Getting all of this attention from spectators wasn’t good either. He shook his head, trying to clear the dust from his eyes, and pushed himself to his feet. He rubbed his head, enduring a brutal headache that had struck him after slamming into that final wall. There was no way that Gavin could’ve survived an attack like that.
Yata looked up and saw the white-haired boy standing in the hole of the wall with a smile on the face, thrilled as if he were playing a game. He whistled and scratched the back of his neck innocently. “Wow, you went pretty far on that last hit! So, I heard that you had a friend! Where’s he? Heard he was pretty strong, too! Hayashi clan, right?” He smirked.
Yata’s expression hardened at the mention of Keimaro. How did this guy get information on where Keimaro was? How did he even know Keimaro existed? “Oi, princess! Tell you what—you beat me, and I guess I won’t have to go to your mother’s house to tell her that her son has no manners,” he snarled, tapping the metal bat to his shoulder. “I bet she didn’t tell you a lot of things! Like how you’re a bastard child.”
“Keep the insults coming, tin-man,” the white-haired boy scoffed. “I don’t have time for your idiocy. The more time I spend talking to you, the more attention I’m attracting. My name is Yuri. I am not your ordinary opponent, as you can tell,” he said, tilting his head back to reveal an array of sharp teeth that gleamed like shining daggers. “The old man told me that I was supposed to fetch Keimaro. However, he didn’t mention anything about a Faar soldier and a freaking tin-man! Why the hell do you have Hayashi stench all over you?”
“Hayashi … stench?” Yata snarled, his fist tightening in rage. Using that word, stench, as if he’s a type of dog or monster. As if Keimaro’s different from him or me!
“Yeah, they smell differently from—”
Yata stomped his foot, and the ground erupted, a giant fissure separating the earth for a moment. There was a single millisecond of silence before a giant steel cone burst from the earth, slicing straight through the entire inn. The building was obliterated and began to fall apart, wood flying into the air.
The white-haired boy had thrown himself off of the building before it was destroyed and landed heavily on the ground, rolling to break the impact. “You idiot! What do you think you’re doing? There are innocent people in—”
Yata tilted his head back with a gleam in his eyes. He smirked, unbothered by his heinous crime. He walked toward the boy, his bat dragging across the dirt as people began to gather around them, watching the spectacle. “You think I give a crap about the people in this city? I’ll do whatever I want! Are you going to stop me?” He lowered his head and released a low growl. “Then do it.”
***
Gavin coughed a few times, not exactly sure what had happened. He felt something heavy on him. He tried to open his eyes, but honestly he wanted to simply keep them shut and just lie there and sleep. But, he knew he needed to get moving; this place was dangerous … wherever he was. His eyes fluttered open, and he blinked some dust away to find that he was actually underneath debris of the inn, not exactly sure how the entire structure had come apart. His chest burned with an agonizing pain, and he groaned, leaning forward. His back was pressed up against a wall that was still upright. One of the pillars that held the upper floors had fallen over and had almost landed on him. It was hovering inches over his legs. Feeling uncomfortable, Gavin quickly drew his legs back and began to push himself to his feet. Dust was everywhere, and he couldn’t help but hear the grunting and clanging of combat nearby.
There’s no doubt that’s Yata. What happened?
Oh, yes. That mysterious white-haired boy had somehow teleported to their window and knocked them through several walls. Apparently now the entire inn was destroyed, too. Perfect. Simply wonderful! He knew he was gaining an affinity for Yata. Not really.
Why hadn’t that stubborn piece-of-work listened to him earlier? No, why hadn’t he gathered his own guts and warned Yata earlier? Perhaps then they wouldn’t be in this mess. Now the people in the inn were most likely killed, dozens of veterans from the war. Yata probably didn’t care
, but Gavin knew that those men didn’t deserve to die in such an unexpected way. Now that he thought about it, how had that boy gotten to their window so fast? And how did he have super strength that excelled beyond even Yata? Don’t tell me he’s another one of those freaks with super powers.
Gavin stepped over the destroyed pillar and looked at the desolated area around him, his eyes wandering over dozens of corpses that had been buried underneath debris. Blood was splattered across the ground, forming multiple pools around bodies. He staggered a few steps, finding it rather hard to walk. Each step was as if he were drunk, incapable of walking in a straight line. His legs were shaking as he tried to go in the direction of the fighting. He didn’t know why he was even going to Yata. He could run away right now, but there was something about this boy that seemed to draw him back in. He had been spared for a reason, Yata had said. What was that reason? They trusted him? He was a random stranger; why in the gods would they choose to trust a random enemy soldier? There was no logic behind their decision. So, why am I trying to help these terrorists again?
Gavin lost his balance and fell over, grasping another pillar. He leaned his chin on it, groaning. The unyielding stone gave him a bruise as he slumped over the debris and looked outward to see Yata and the boy exchanging heavy blows. Surprisingly enough, the enemy was much faster and even stronger than Yata.
Yata was swinging his bat furiously, but the opponent was able to dodge easily, as if he knew what was going to happen next. His image would flicker, and he would reappear somewhere else in the next second. It was near impossible for Yata to read the opponent’s moves because the boy’s speed was unreal. The boy had reappeared beside Yata and rotated his body, driving a full fist into the solid metal of Yata’s face. Normally, punching that solid body would’ve at least hurt since the opponent was punching metal, but that didn’t seem to stop him one bit. With an explosion of power, Yata was rocketed backward through the air, flipping out of control as he smashed solidly through a building, sending more dust everywhere. Debris rained down as the wall of the building began to crumble.
Gavin stared at the white-haired boy, incredulous. He was unbelievably strong; it was simply unnatural. A single punch, capable of sending a full-metal young man through a building. This boy had undoubtedly obtained his power from a similar place to where Keimaro and Yata had gotten theirs. But from where? A twisting feeling grasped at his gut, and he suddenly felt the need to go out there and help Yata.
But what could I do? Gavin thought, looking down at the dirt. All I would do is give Yata a distraction for maybe a second or two before this guy sent me through more walls. I’m not superhuman like Yata is. I’ll be killed. I’ll die. Isn’t the point of helping these guys just to survive? And if Yata is a terrorist who wants to assassinate our savior, our king, why should I help him?
Yata’s body had shifted from its metallic form, morphing back into human flesh. The white-haired boy grabbed him by the hair and dragged him from the wreckage of the destroyed building. He threw Yata to the ground, where he gasped for air, blood smeared across his chin.
Yata placed his palm onto the ground, trying to push himself upward, but he was swiftly kicked and driven back into the earth. The boy had never felt so powerless against such a strong opponent before. Defeated so easily, being humiliated without a single chance from the very beginning. He saw his bat a couple of feet away and reached outward in a final attempt to fight back. To his despair, Yuri kicked it away. A bolt of fear shot through Yata as his eyes widened. He realized he was now unarmed and unable to defend himself. Was he going to die? Was this the—
The mysterious boy interrupted Yata’s thought process with a heavy kick to the cheek. Yata’s face snapped to the side before he went limp and hit the ground, his eyes closed, unmoving. The white-haired boy bent over and scooped Yata off of the ground, slinging the unconscious body over his shoulder. He turned and saw Gavin, giving the soldier a slight smile and a nod. “The soldiers will be here soon. I suggest you get out of here,” he said, not specifying who he was acknowledging. Gavin heard, and he watched as the boy began to walk off into an alleyway between buildings.
Gavin’s throat felt dry, and he felt extremely hot. What do I do? Follow him and possibly get killed? It would be the right thing to do so that Keimaro at least would be able to save his friend. Ugh, why the hell am I so reluctant to go after them? This other guy is not exactly a hero either. Both Yata and this other guy are bad. Damn, what do I do? Yata at least had smidges of humanity in him, despite the fact that he was extremely aggressive. After all, he had been the one to spare Gavin’s life twice. Damn it.
Gavin leapt to his feet and stumbled over the debris in the direction of the alleyway where the boy had vanished. He couldn’t just leave Yata to go off and be kidnapped. That would haunt his nightmares. He had to try to save him at least. Staggering forward, still feeling extremely dizzy, he leaned against the wall of one side of the alleyway as he began to move forward more cautiously, wary of the fact that dwelling within some of these shadows was the dangerous white-haired boy that they had encountered. He could hear the sounds of soldiers yelling behind him, questioning people. If they caught him, it would only slow things down and he would probably lose track of Yata. It was better if he just stayed quiet and kept moving.
The soldier’s eyes squinted as he peered through the pitch-black darkness before him, feeling as if he were simply looking at a black blanket. He couldn’t see a thing. Why in hell was it so dark? He supposed that it was nighttime, but this was beyond any type of darkness that he had encountered in the city. It reminded him of the Forbidden Forest. He shivered at the very thought of that darkness that entranced adventurers, then locked them into an abyss from which they would never escape. Even as a young boy, he had been one of those children to boast that he would be one of the explorers to go and camp out in the Forbidden Forest and survive. He would be a legend. But as a child, he had known nothing of this darkness or this silence—the silence that drove even the strongest of men mad. He blinked a few times, thinking that his eyes would’ve adjusted to the darkness by now. Yet, they didn’t, and he continued walking, deeper and deeper into the void.
“This is your friend, then?” a voice suddenly spoke softly in Gavin’s ear. It was so subtle, a simple whisper, but in this dead silence, it was like a horn blowing right into his ear. Gavin nearly leapt at the sound and glanced around, his heart thudding harder against his chest. He couldn’t see anything. He didn’t know why he bothered to turn around. Even if there were someone there, he wouldn’t have spotted them.
“Who’s there?” Gavin demanded and finally realized that the sound of soldiers had been gone for a while now. There was no sound at all, and he was locked in this shadow that grasped him. His throat tightened as visceral fear filled him. This was no alley. This was something else beyond his comprehension. A void. He gripped the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it. But even he knew that there was simply no point. Why was this happening? He didn’t want to die. Not in a place like this. Not in this darkness.
“Gavin, the soldier. A trained warrior from the simple barrack of Faar. What is someone like you doing with two strong, independent killers such as these? Keimaro and Yata are both very dangerous men. I heard they were traveling alone. So, who are you?” the voice whispered once more, coming from all directions. “You seem bothered, warrior. Are you afraid? Yes. Yes, you are afraid! I can smell it. Your fear.”
Sweat began to form on the warrior’s brow as he stumbled backward and found that the wall he had seen only a second ago was no longer there. What wizardry was this? Something from mythology, no doubt, locking him in a void of absolute darkness and silence; he was being tormented. Yes, he felt fear. So much of it. He feared death more than anything in the universe. He cared for his life infinitely more than others. He regretted going after Yata already. Now he was going to perish in this dark world. “L-Let me go….”
“Let you go? Why, I haven’t trapped you
. You came after me. I have merely come for a single reason. Keimaro Hayashi. We want to speak to him. Come to the old warehouse of the lower city. Come with Keimaro Hayashi, and perhaps your friend here will live. All will be explained. Come unarmed.”
A sudden gust of wind blew, and Gavin found that his eyes were closed. They snapped open, and he found himself on the floor of the alleyway, his face coated in a layer of hot sweat. He was relieved that he had escaped that darkness—so relieved that he curled into a ball and began to sob silently. Perhaps it was out of the fear that he would be trapped in that darkness forever. Scared of the dark? Why was he a soldier if that was all it took to scare him? Why, indeed?
***
Keimaro followed Judal up a long set of stairs that led from the lower city to the noble district, where all of the land belonged to the royal family or the nobles of society. Upon reaching the top, he raised an eyebrow at the sight before him: outstretching plains of lush grass that gleamed healthily even under the moonlight. A fountain spewed glistening water that gushed down from a statue of the king into the well, mimicking the exact same fountain that he had seen in the city square. Stone pathways were carved into the fields, leading to gigantic mansions that looked at least eighty times larger than the ordinary cottage. They filled the land with their magnificence.
The boy was led down the stone pathways behind Judal, looking around him in awe. Wow, he thought, look at these buildings! The luxury is beyond comprehension. These guys must be loaded. Of course they were. They were nobles, the highest rank in society besides the king. One building that Keimaro saw had massive pillars in the front to support the stretching tiled roof. The windows themselves were tinted different colors for some odd reason so that the moonlight shone through them, displaying an array of dissimilar light. Even the doors themselves seemed to have golden doorknobs or knockers, worth enough to probably buy Keimaro’s entire home village. A boy with golden hair peeked from a window on the upper floors, watching Judal and Keimaro pass by. But, without so much as a nod, he fled.