"Hey... Hey..."
"Wake up."
"Hey, wake up already."
"Hey... Gloria..."
"Little brother? Eren? What are you..."
"Hey... I'm not your little brother. I'm Rui Yamazaki. Wake up."
Gloria blinked, her vision clearing slowly. "Rui...? Wh... what happened? Wh... where are we? And where are the others?"
"We are in an inn in Drakkar City," Rui replied softly, his voice steadying her. "Some of your squad arrived. They brought us here."
"Squad? Which squad?"
I guess... simply because no one lives in the city," Rui said, "So I thought it had to be your squad... the one you told me about? The ones who watch over the city.
Gloria sat up abruptly, a cold sweat breaking on her brow. "The squad who watches over the city... B... but, that's not possible."
"Wh... what? What are you talking about?"
"Look, Rui, listen," Gloria said, her voice sharp, her eyes widening in panic. "The Squad..." Her voice trembled, barely a whisper before it hardened into something brittle. "The Squad is dead. I killed them."
She grabbed Rui's arm, her grip desperate. "Just tell me... where are the others?"
Outside, the night was oppressively dark. The heavy air hung low, smelling of ash and old decay.
"Hey Ria, why are just me and Jain lifting these corpses?" Caesar grunted, hoisting a heavy limb. "Why don't you fucking help?"
Ria wrinkled her nose, stepping back. "Well, first of all, these aren't just dead bodies. They were walking corpses for so long... the rot... I can't touch them."
"And why not?"
"Because they are disgusting!"
Caesar grinded his teeth, the sound sharp in the silence, and continued walking under the weight.
"But on a serious topic... why now?" Caesar asked, his voice dropping to a deep, contemplative rumble. "Why did they all just fall dead? I mean, they were already dead, but... you know what I mean."
"Yes," Jain said with a heavy sigh, adjusting his grip. "I get what you are saying. They all just got immobilized instantly. Like some kind of curse finally wore off."
"Well, whatever it was, it wasn't good. That's for sure."
Caesar and Jain dropped the final corpse onto the pile. The thud echoed grimly.
"And now," Caesar dusted his hands, "let's bid them farewell."
"Yes." With a sigh, Caesar looked over the mound of bodies. "Goodbye."
Ria stepped forward, her expression softening. "Goodbye. And sorry we made you wait for so long." A single tear traced a path down her cheek. "We are sorry. Now... you may all rest."
As the fire caught, flames roaring to life against the dark sky, it felt as if every tethered soul was finally unchained. With what looked like final, peaceful smiles amidst the smoke, the spirits seemed to ascend, flying into the heavens.
"Hey, you three. Come here."
A man appeared from the shadows. He wore simple folk clothes, his face obscured by a black mask, his hair tied back severely. Behind him stood two more men, silent and imposing.
"Yes? Right away."
All three followed the man toward the inn, the fire crackling behind them.
"K... k... killed?" Rui stared at her, the word feeling heavy and foreign on his tongue. "B... but why?"
"Look, Rui, that is not our concern right now," Gloria snapped, though her voice wavered. "Trust me. What I did... it was for the better. For everyone."
"Okay... okay, I trust you," Rui said, raising his hands slightly to soothe her. "But... l... look, even if these people here aren't your squad members, that doesn't mean they are bad people. They were nice. They helped us."
"Rui..." She shook her head slowly, "You don't get it..."
"Go and bring your two friends outside," the masked man ordered.
"Why?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Hey, mind your—"
"Stop, Jain," Caesar interrupted, holding up a hand. "We are in debt to him and his people. They helped us. What they ask for is their right, and truthfully, this is not our matter of concern. They have already helped us enough. We will take Rui and Gloria and leave.
He turned to the man. "I shall bring them right away, and then we will leave."
Caesar walked up the creaking stairs and opened the door at the end of the hall.
"Hey... guys."
"C... Caesar!" Rui smiled the moment he saw him, rushing forward to embrace him. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, my lord." Caesar bowed his head slightly. "Gloria, and Rui, my king... we shall take our leave now."
"Su... sure," Rui said, confused by the sudden urgency.
They left the inn, stepping into the cool night air. The masked man was still there, flanked by his two guards.
"Now... all of you..." the man began.
Rui stepped forward, interrupting him.
"First, thank you. For your help. Your kindness and generosity saved us. I don't know where we would have been by now if it wasn't for your help."
"That is good," the man said, his eyes narrowing above the mask. "But now, all of you shall answer me."
The air grew heavy.
"Who among you is..."
(...)
Everyone's eyes widened. The silence stretched, taut as a bowstring.
"I will ask you once again. Who amongst you is... Rui Yamazaki?"
"How... how do you know?" Caesar whispered, shock coloring his voice.
"Ooh, it's you?" The man looked at Caesar.
"No..."
"What? What's that?" the man leaned in, mocking. "Speak louder, please."
"I am Rui Yamazaki," Rui said, his voice sharp, his eyes cold and steady.
"Nice. Good. Great." The man chuckled darkly. "All of you must now follow me!"
"Where? And who are you? And why shall we follow you?"
"To where, you ask? To the Royal Castle. Who am I, you ask? Well, I am King Sai. And that shall be enough! Now, follow."
Gloria stepped forward, furious. "King, my a—"
Rui clamped a hand over her mouth. "Stop. We will talk later about this. Right now, we should follow as he says."
So this is King Sai, Rui thought to himself, watching the man's back.
"Well, before we continue moving," King Sai said, stopping and turning around. "These are my two men. Ahem..." Sai chuckled, gesturing. "...and Nhem!"
He paused for effect. "And why must you know about my men? Well, because... The Mistress of Drakkar, the Chained Warrior of Drakkar, and the Guest of the Land... all three of you are under arrest!"
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wh... what?" Gloria stammered, confusion quickly boiling into rage. "Are you serious? We saved your land!" Her voice rose to a shout. "I lost my family! We all lost ourselves saving your fucking land by keeping these creatures contained! We fought day and night, and you are saying you will imprison us?"
"No, I didn't say imprison. I said arrest," Sai corrected calmly. "Well, we will talk later. Let's just move for now."
Rui reached for Gloria's hand to calm her.
"You must have..." Gloria ripped her hand away from Rui's grip. Her eyes turned pitch black, consumed by rage. She moved toward Sai. "You must have fucking..."
The two soldiers rushed to incapacitate her, but with a single, fluid kick, she knocked both of them unconscious. They hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Gloria didn't stop. "You must have fucking lost your mind!" She grabbed Sai by the collar, hoisting him up. "I will fucking kill you! King or not, if you even touch any of my friends, you will die!"
"Alright," Sai chuckled, entirely unfazed. "Okay. But would you mind getting these hands off of me?"
Gloria shoved him back, releasing him.
"So, Gloria, is that your name?" Sai straightened his collar. "What if... what if I touch your friends?"
Gloria's eyes flashed red. She lunged, grabbing Sai by the neck. "I will kill you."
"Oh, will you?" Sai's voice came from behind her, distant and mocking.
"What? I... what?" Gloria stared at her empty hands. "You were here... I grabbed..."
"Yes," Sai laughed from a few meters away. "You grabbed my air." He turned his gaze to Rui. "And you, King Rui... don't even dare. You know what can happen if you step in."
Rui's eyes widened in rage, and he grinded his teeth so hard his gums began to bleed.
Gloria screamed and rushed toward Sai again, closing the distance in a heartbeat. But in an instant, she collapsed, falling face-first into the dirt, unconscious.
"What just happened?" Caesar gasped.
"We couldn't follow his movements at all," Ria whispered in terror.
"He just..." Jain stared, eyes wide. "He... he didn't even move!"
Rui stood frozen, eyes wide in shock.
He did move, Rui realized, sweat trickling down his neck. But what I saw was just a kick. As Gloria closed the gap in an instant, Sai landed a kick on her face. It was so fast, even for me, that all I saw was a flash connecting.
Who is this guy? The King of Wandland... Sai Soleman!