The wind around the cursed apple tree felt heavier than before.
Its branches creaked like bones grinding against each other. The golden apples shimmered mockingly, as if they were laughing at the suffering they caused.
Lucas cracked his neck.
"Alright. Let's go and destroy this damn tree."
I blinked.
"…It's a tree. What exactly are we supposed to do? Punch it?"
Mirei stepped forward calmly, her green hair swaying in the breeze.
"I will explain how to fight this type of monster. First — fire. It is wood. It will burn. But do not be naive. It will regenerate. So when it begins restoring itself, you must use darkness to consume what remains."
I scratched my head.
"…Okay, cool strategy. Small problem. How the hell do we use our powers?"
She froze.
"…Right."
Lucas burst out laughing.
"You forgot to teach us the most important part?"
Mirei clicked her tongue.
"You have your daggers. If your growth is as I suspect, the first ability should already be unlocked. It should grant speed."
I immediately pulled out my dagger.
"Wait… I can actually open it?"
Lucas leaned closer.
"Yeah, but how do we activate it?"
Mirei sighed.
"When you unlock it, the command word will appear. Once you say it once, it will imprint into your memory automatically."
"…So we don't have to memorize weird spells?"
"When I am speaking, do not interrupt," she snapped.
I grinned.
"Okay, okay. Let's see."
I pressed the base of the dagger's handle.
A small glowing panel slid open.
One word.
Simple.
Acceleration.
"…That's it?" I muttered. "That's the cool word?"
Mirei nodded.
"Many weapons share similar names. It only activates when the dagger is in your hand."
Lucas smirked.
"Sounds badass enough to me."
I lifted the dagger.
"Alright then… Acceleration!!!"
The moment I shouted it—
The world slowed.
No.
Not exactly.
I became faster.
My body felt light.
My movements sharp.
And the crazy part?
I could control it easily.
"…Holy shit," I whispered. "This is insane."
Mirei smiled slightly.
"When you truly learn something, your body adapts naturally."
I spun the dagger in my hand.
"Alright. Let's attack."
"Wait," Lucas grabbed my shoulder.
"What now?"
Mirei pointed at the giant tree.
"Do you see the red core pulsing inside the trunk? That is its life source. You must reach it."
I squinted.
"…Got it."
Lucas grinned.
"I have a plan."
"Oh yeah?"
"You go from above. I attack from below."
I smirked.
"Simple and stupid. I like it."
We activated Acceleration again and rushed forward.
Up close, the tree was even more terrifying.
It wasn't just wood.
It was alive.
Its bark twisted like muscle. Veins pulsed beneath the surface.
"…It looked smaller from far away," Lucas muttered.
"Shut up and move!"
The moment I leapt—
A branch slammed into me.
Hard.
"FUCK—!"
I flew backward and crashed into the ground.
Pain exploded through my ribs.
But I stood up immediately.
When the tree focused on me—
We thought Lucas would be safe.
We were wrong.
Hundreds.
No—
Thousands of branches erupted from the trunk like spears.
We weren't that strong yet.
Not even close.
But losing?
That wasn't an option.
We charged again.
Slashing.
Dodging.
Burning branches with small bursts of fire.
But it kept regenerating.
Then—
My dagger vibrated.
A new word appeared.
Giant Fang.
Lucas looked at his dagger.
"…You too?"
I grinned through the pain.
"Let's test it."
We raised our blades.
"GIANT FANG!!!"
The daggers expanded instantly.
Their blades extended, morphing into enormous fang-like shapes made of energy.
They were huge.
Far larger than our bodies.
And absurdly fast.
We launched forward.
The giant fangs pierced straight through the tree's glowing red core—
And hit its eyes.
The tree shrieked.
Its body blackened.
Flames erupted everywhere.
The heat was unbearable.
Our legs burned.
We collapsed to our knees.
Suddenly Mirei screamed,
"Do not let it end like last time!"
Her voice snapped me back.
I reached for Lucas.
"Lucas! Look behind you!"
For the first time—
There were people watching us.
Villagers.
Children.
They were depending on us.
"We said we wouldn't lose," I muttered.
Lucas grinned, blood running down his forehead.
"Yeah. We're not losing."
We stood up again.
The daggers returned to normal size.
The tree began regenerating.
We screamed together—
"GIANT FANG!!!"
This time—
We poured everything into it.
Every drop of energy.
The blades expanded beyond anything before.
Massive.
Blinding.
They tore straight through the trunk.
Through the core.
Through the curse itself.
And then—
Darkness swallowed the remaining wood.
The tree split in half.
And we fell.
My vision faded.
The last thing I heard—
"Their victory! They won!"
And Mirei's voice.
Panicked.
Worried.
Like a mother.
As I collapsed, I felt warmth.
Softness.
I was in Mirei's arms.
Her hands were trembling.
We had said we wouldn't lose.
And we didn't.
Then—
A smack on the head.
"Idiots…" she whispered through tears. "Why are you this strong already…?"
Darkness took me.
When I woke up—
The pain in my legs was gone.
The burns had disappeared.
I looked around.
The village was peaceful.
The cursed tree was gone.
Mirei was asleep nearby.
Her face showed exhaustion.
But also… happiness.
I nudged Lucas.
"She protected us."
He blinked awake.
"…Yeah."
I grinned.
"Let's do something for her."
We grabbed our daggers and ran to the village market.
We spent six gold on the most beautiful flowers we could find.
Bright.
Colorful.
Alive.
Then we bought a dress.
Two gold.
Elegant.
Flowing.
"Okay," Lucas said. "She's going to kill us for spending that much."
"Worth it."
We returned quickly.
"She's going to wake up soon," I whispered.
"Go wake her," Lucas said.
I knelt beside her.
"Mirei… hey."
She opened her eyes slowly.
"Did something happen?"
"No. Just… come outside."
She frowned slightly.
"…What did you break this time?"
"Just come."
She stepped outside—
And froze.
The flowers surrounded the area.
Dozens of them.
Her face lit up instantly.
She looked… genuinely happy.
And that made everything worth it.
Then we handed her the dress.
She stared at it silently before going inside to change.
When she returned—
"…How do I look?"
I swallowed.
"It suits you."
Lucas nodded.
"You look amazing."
She smiled brightly.
"Thank you… I love you, boys."
Then suddenly—
Her expression changed.
"…Wait. How much did this cost?"
"…Eight gold."
"…HOW MUCH?!"
She smacked both of us on the head.
"You have no idea how to manage money!"
Then she hugged us tightly.
And that's when we realized something important.
Mirei loved us.
Very much.
But she also loved money.
And honestly?
That was fine.
Because today—
We saved a village.
Unlocked new power.
And learned what it meant to fight for someone else.
And we had no intention of losing.
Ever.