"WHO DID THIS? WHO—" asked Tsuki
"She is—" replied the shadow.
Then the shadow dissolved into thin air.
Crunch
Footsteps from behind were heard.
A whistle cut through the silence,
"Well, well, well. I guess there are more rabbits here." An unknown male voice behind Tsuki.
Tsuki whirled around.
"What a poor boy, losing someone you love huh? That Yumi satisfied me. She fought so well." A man with red hair and yellow eyes glowing in the dark like a wolf that is about to hunt its prey looking down at Tsuki while grabbing a sack and wearing a white suit.
"YOU—DID THIS!" Tsuki's vision turned blood-red.
"Ahhh..—I'm Vexalithon. Degree I of the god of blo—"
"HAAA—" Tsuki struck him immediately but his punch was caught by him in mid-air effortlessly.
"God of bloodlust" the man finished.
KRAK
"ARGHHH"
Tsuki screamed in pain as the man crushed his hand, bones snapping, blood welled between his fingers.
"Where is your manners? How disrespectful. I wasn't done talking."
WHOOSH—THUD
A brutal uppercut smashed Tsuki's chin. The world exploded in white pain—
—then went black as he flew backward, crashing through bushes, rolling in dirt, finally slamming against a tree. His limp body slumped to the ground, unconscious.
"Aish… it's already late. I had to clean up this mess." The last thing that Tsuki heard from Vexalithon.
~
GASP
I jolted upright and saw that my body was covered full of bandages. My right hand—
It was healed.
A girl with yellow hair was in front of my bed, shouting "Mom, he is awake."
And her mom is going downstairs and said to me "Hey, are you okay?"
A young-age mom with yellow hair and dress with brown fabric and a pocket in front of the stomach area.
"Where am I?"
"You were found in a jungle near our house, my daughter and I were searching for wild berries then we found you unconscious with injuries."
"YUMI—DO YOU FIND A DEAD BODY OF A GIRL?"
"Dead body? There is no dead body."
"How about blood or some stuff like that?"
"Sorry, but there is no one else, just trampled grass where you fell."
I couldn't say a word after that. I was so desperate. At that moment, I thought that this was just a dream. I remained silent for a few minutes. Tears welled up in my eyes.
"Big brother you are such a cry baby!" The girl mocked me.
"Be careful with your mouth . Don't do that again!" The mother warned her. The mother felt bad seeing my condition.
So she tried to break the ice. She went back to her house and brought something nice for me.
"Here, drink this and you should feel better." said the mother while pouring something into a small cup
I drank the liquid, and suddenly, My heart became calm.
"It's a magic tea. We call it the positive tea. Well, my daughter named it. This tea could dissolve heavy sadness for a while."
"No problem. It is our responsibility as humans to help someone who is injured." replied the Ma'am with a pure smile.
Then the door suddenly opened, and
The door opened and a muscular guard in a white-and-silver uniform entered. Though not tall, his broad shoulders and thick arms showed his strength. He had sharp brown eyes, short messy brown hair, and a scruffy beard.
"Oh, Marie, you know that I never expected any guests." Said the man.
"I know, but we found him in the forest when we were searching for berries."
"State your name, boy!" The man gave a serious and penetrating look.
"Uuugghh, I…aamm…Tsu…ki." Answered Tsuki with an unclear voice.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face after hearing my broken voice. He shook his head slightly and said, "You look fragile. What is your power?"
"Power? You mean magic? I don't have any magic." Said Tsuki in his mind.
I stayed silent for a long moment. The man sighed and lowered his arms. "No need to be scared. I'm not going to bite you." He said while pulling a chair to sit across from me.
"I'm Frieger Schmidt, the royal guard. My job is to protect the king."
Marie smiled warmly. "You can stay with us until you recover. There is plenty of room."
What she said was almost identical to what Lia once told me.
I didn't know what to say.
I was lucky—again—to meet people like this. Lucky to find kindness in Marie and Frieger. But that luck tasted bitter, like irony served cold. My stomach twisted at the thought.
I didn't want something bad to happen again.
Not like what happened to Yumi.
Not like what happened when I froze... when I failed.
I SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING.
I SHOULD HAVE COME WITH HER AND SAVE HER.
I STOOD THERE—USELESS.
A FRAGILE SHELL ENTOMBED IN REGRET.
IF ANYONE KNEW THE TRUTH—THEY'D CALL ME A LUCKY BASTARD.
SURVIVING TWICE.
FIRST WITH RYOTA AND LIA.
NOW WITH MARIE AND FRIEGER?
WAS I BLESSED—OR CURSED?
IS THIS SOME KIND OF MOCK FROM THE DIVINE? SOME CRUEL JEST FROM THE GODS WHO LEFT ME ALIVE FOR THEIR AMUSEMENT?
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell them to send me away. Let me rot where I belong.
But I couldn't.
My legs refused.
My mouth was sealed by shame.
I didn't walk inside out of courage.
I stayed because I couldn't bring myself to do something cruel to my own existence.
I had no place left to return to.
Not Lia.
Not Ryota.
Not the shattered fragments of the life I once knew.
"I'll… stay," I whispered, almost choking.
It wasn't strength that made me say it.
It was desperation.
Not hope.
Just… nowhere else to go.
Not back. Never back.
I agreed—barely.
But deep inside, everything in me felt like I wanted to scream out loud, mixed with mad, sadness, hopelessness.
From that day, I lived with them.
The house was simple. Wooden walls, a stone fireplace, and the smell of fresh bread are always in the air. Marie treated me like her own son. Her daughter, whom I learned her name is Hana, kept interrupting me with her childish jokes. She called me "Big crybaby" and "sad wolf" even though I cried only once. But I didn't mind. At Least her words filled my emptiness.
Frieger, despite his rough appearance, was the one who changed me the most
"You know how to hold a sword, but you fight like a wounded bird," he said that one morning while tossing me a wooden sword.
From then on, every morning before sunrise, I trained with him on the field behind the house. Sweat pours down my face every day. My arms shook from exhaustion. But I kept going. I wanted to be stronger. I had to be stronger.
I poured everything into training. I practiced every day. I practiced how to hold a sword. I trained my stamina. I also improved my awareness. Everyday, Frieger taught me how to move, how to strike, and how to survive. He taught me how to live again.
[A year after]
A year passed. I'm slowly adapting. I was accepted by the family who saved me when I was dying in the forest. The Schmidt family treats me as their family member, although I'm not. Despite that, I always feel uncomfortable. I felt unworthy. I'm not worthy of receiving such good treatment. I was supposed to stay until I fully recovered. But the fact that I've been here for a year, or even more.
I never want to be useless. So I help them everyday. I help them wash the dishes. I help them pick the flowers. I search and collect Hana's favorite berries every week. I learned how to bake bread so I could help Marie. I tried my best to help them. I owe them a life debt. I don't want to make their life harder because of me.
"Hellooo? What are you thinking right now? You've been so quiet." Said Hana, while waving her hand in front of my face.
I was surprised, so I answered, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the past."
She then said, "Have you heard about this brother? Let the past be the past. Anyway, Mom and I are going to the forest. We're running out of grapes. Also, I'm going to collect my favorite berries. Are you coming with us?"
"Oh sure, I'm coming with you." I answered .
"Ok. We're going to the forest after lunch, so don't be late."
She's a little bit annoying. But I didn't mind since she was still a child. I'm not her real brother, but she calls me brother. I understand why she calls me brother. She is a single child.
We went to the forest. There we found lots of grapes in the forest, and harvested the grapes until the basket was full. Next, we went to the usual spot where we collect Hana's berries.
"Fyuhh, It was tiring. Time to go home." Said Marie.
"Wait Mom, I want to go to the cliff. I want to see the castle." Said Hana
"Well, alright sweety, but don't be too late. Tsuki, don't let anything bad happen."
"Don't worry." I said confidently. Honestly, I don't like being in the forest for a long period. But, I didn't want her to be involved on a problem. Every time I go to the forest, It reminds me of Yumi. I will never make the same mistake again.
"Hey brother, come here. Look at the castle, I think something is happening." Hana said.
"What's going on?" I asked, while climbing the cliff. But when I arrived and saw it, I realized something bad was going on at the castle. "A thick smoke? This is unusual. I think something bad is going on."
"Wait, what? But Father is on duty right now. We must do something ! " Hana panicked.
Not again. Never again!
Illustration (in chapter comment)