Chaos, screams, and slaughter echoed throughout the Kingdom of Velmar, but despite everything happening around him, Kael didn't care he kept running.
He could clearly see the monsters relentlessly killing people, and from a distance, he witnessed explosions of light one after another. Kael knew that was Lyra's power.
Yet even with that, he kept running until he heard a cry.
"HELP!"
Kael turned and realized the cry was directed at him. He saw it.
He noticed an old man, gravely wounded he had only minutes left to live. Beside him was a four-year-old child, crying.
"Please, at least save my granddaughter… please…"
Upon hearing this, Kael hesitated. But the child's crying reminded him of his own sobs as a child when his father used to hurt him.
Because of that, he rushed toward the crying child, picked her up, and when he saw an orc approaching, he immediately used his mana to release a cloud of black smoke.
With that, he managed to escape but the old man was killed by the orc's blow.
"Huhuhu… please save my grandma…"
Kael ignored the child's pleas, focusing instead on escaping. He knew he couldn't fight properly while holding the child.
As he ran, Kael suddenly stopped he had realized they were surrounded by monsters. Spotting a fairly large house nearby, he quickly dashed inside.
Upon entering, he found the place empty. He swiftly shut the door and covered the child's mouth.
"Huhu… sniff…"
"Shh… keep quiet."
He felt the trembling of the ground as if the monsters were passing by. He remained silent, firmly covering the child's mouth as they hid.
Hours passed, and finally, the noise disappeared. Kael peeked through the window it was dead silent.
He stepped out of the house, carrying the child, and ran. He used mana on his feet, allowing him to move with incredible speed like a streak of smoke cutting through the wind.
After several hours, they were finally far from the kingdom, now standing atop a tall mountain. From there, Kael could see the kingdom consumed by fire. He also noticed three dragons unleashing flames relentlessly, and the castle reduced to ruins, engulfed in flames as well.
Kael was overwhelmed with grief and whispered,
"Lyra… why did you sacrifice yourself? Didn't you care about your own life? Just because you're a princess, does it mean you have to give up everything… even your life? Sniff… how foolish of you…"
He punched the tree beside him.
"Tsk."
Kael paused when he noticed the child had woken up.
"Uh… big brother, where are we? Where's grandma?"
The child whimpered. Kael comforted him and gently said,
"Life, once lost, cannot be brought back. Don't waste your grandma's sacrifice."
Eventually, the child stopped crying. When he had calmed down, Kael asked for his name.
"Uhm… Finn… Finn Alder."
Upon hearing that, Kael said,
"Finn… that's a very cute name."
Finn looked up at him.
"What about you, big brother? What's your name?"
Kael looked at him and replied,
"Ah… me? My name is Kael."
Then he heard the sound of the boy's stomach grumbling he was clearly hungry. Kael stood up.
"Stay here. I'll find us some food."
He stood and handed Finn a small dagger with its sheath still on.
"Hold onto this, Finn. Don't take it out unless you really have to. Only use it if danger comes while I'm gone."
Kael then gathered wood around the area to build a campfire. In just a few minutes, he had one ready.
"Stay near the fire, I'll be back soon. Got it, Finn?"
"Y-yes… big brother," Finn replied.
Hearing that, Kael stood and walked into the forest. Once deep enough, he activated his power and vanished into the darkness.
He soon spotted a wild boar. Seeing that it wasn't a monster, Kael drew his sword. In an instant, he was behind the boar, blade raised ready to strike.
30 minutes later…
Finn was eating wild boar meat nonstop. Kael, watching him, said,
"Finn, slow down or you'll choke."
But Finn, ravenous, kept eating. Kael had no choice but to let him be.
Days passed. Kael and Finn continued wandering through the forest, unsure of where to go, until they came across a small village.
Without hesitation, they approached. As they entered, they noticed the villagers staring at them.
An elderly man, seemingly the village chief, walked up to them.
"Welcome to our village. You two seem to be from a faraway land," the old man said warmly.
Kael replied,
"Yes, sir. We've come a long way… we got lost in the forest."
"I see," said the chief. "Then please, both of you, stay at my house especially since you have a child with you. Oh, by the way, my name is Lucien."
"My name is Kael, and this boy with me is Finn."
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at Lucien's house. Kael noticed it was quite large.
Upon entering, Kael was surprised to spot something an object from the world he came from.
"Uhh… a gun," he muttered quietly.
He quickly approached it.
"Uh… Elder Lucien, where did you get this item?" he asked, picking up the gun and showing it to the old man.
Lucien replied,
"Ah, that came from a man wearing green. He saved our village from monsters using that weapon you're holding."
Kael asked,
"Uh… Elder Lucien, where is he now?"
"He's dead. The goblins killed him… but before he died, he managed to slay the last Goblin King using that weapon."
"Then… why is it just displayed here? Why don't you use it?" Kael asked.
"We tried. It didn't work," Lucien replied.
Kael then pulled the trigger and fired a shot.
Lucien jumped in shock, even Finn stepped back from the loud bang. The villagers rushed toward Lucien's house.
Kael himself was stunned he thought it had no bullets. Checking the gun, he saw it still had a few rounds left. Then, to his surprise, Lucien knelt before him.
"Bow down, everyone the heir of our hero has arrived!"
The villagers outside Lucien's home knelt as well. Kael didn't know what to do.
"Hey… what are you all doing?"
Hours later…
Finally, everything calmed down. Lucien said,
"Come with me, Kael. Our hero left behind more of his belongings."
They went to a basement. Upon entering, Kael found a box filled with bullets.
Kael was stunned… but he couldn't help smiling.