"Ruyie, do a Sham!"
"m'kay. Al SHAM!"
Anna had an arrogant look on her face, but Max knew better.
"Sham break!" She roared back, just before Max shouted "Al Sham" himself.
The first firebolt dissipated into nothingness, the second one never arrived.
"Huh!?"
"I will be killed by a man who can't even produce a spell. Or so you say. Please Mr Spaur, let me kill you."
"Not happening."
Following that, Ruyie did the same attack he did before, throwing his dagger towards her neck, before it being blocked, and then him using her as a jump pad to get away.
"I see why you are a subordinate of them. You are a good fighter."
"Mhm, ya' ain't too bad for the Redshadow either 'n shit."
This was when she used that insta-kill magic. Max only had a split second to stop her. He had no idea what the actual attack was, it seemed to make Ruyie fall on the ground without control. So many unanswered questions.
"Ruyie! Sham again!"
As Anna began to whisper out the spell, she saw the large ball of fire coming towards her, forcing her to stop. She didn't have enough time to do the nullifying magic, so she jumped.
"Take this!" Max shouted at the top of his lounges as he threw the black magic book he had bought earlier. "Don't give her a break!"
"Sham-shir and Sham-shir!" Two big blades of fire materialised out of Ruyie's hands. He rushed towards Anna again, and they began a sword fight that looked more different from anything Max had seen before.
The two barraged each other with their blades, only ever barely missing the other, Ruyie kept skipping back and forth with his legs, while the Redshadow crouched and used the centre of gravity for momentum. At any moment, it was impossible to say who was winning, especially with the fact that their speeds were far too good to hit the other.
The small alleyway, with two narrow beams of light representing freedom, could barely keep the three of them imprisoned, and the two fighters seemed to dash around it as if they were not subjugated to the laws of physics.
The unending battle ended when Ruyie wounded Anna's cheek, and when Anna threw her dagger into Ruyie's arm. The two stopped, taking time to view each other's condition.
"Do you want to know how my business operates? A lot of assassins and dark marketers tend to work as part of a bigger entity, with pathetic hierarchies that dictate power and strength, and information only channels from the top. It's such a corporate system for such an anti-corporate market. But I hate it." Anna's voice had changed from before. Max imagined it was the wound on her face that caused the sudden seriousness, unlike the previous times where she never operated remotely seriously. For the first time, it felt like him and Ruyie weren't puppets in her game. "I hate every part of that system, which is why I operate on my own. If you want me to give you the gist of it, I'm a freelancing dark marketer. I buy, sell and use information, to kill, save or use people, to get whatever I can."
"S' what's this gotta' do wi' me an' shi – OW."
"You don't understand how that letter is useful, do you? Do you even know what's written inside it?"
"Not real – jeez, this fuckin' hurts."
Ruyie casually pointed at the dagger stuck on his tough muscles. The smell of chalk, dirt and blood all went hand in hand together, oozing through the battlefield.
"Y'said y'think it's a peace thingy an' shit didn't ya?"
"Truly, yes. That is the most reasonable answer. How about you take it out of your pockets and have me read for you?"
"Like hell I'm falling for that!"
"I see, what a shame indeed. Well, this was a fascinating battle, I commend you for landing a hit on me, but I despise you, Ruyie, for scarring my beautiful face. Your punishment is death…
"… Zen Chiro!"
Oh no.
Ruyie put his hand on his heart. Suddenly the dagger that was stuck in his body, was ripped off by a non-magical force.
Anna stared at Ruyie with spectacular wonder. She had a dangerous smile sitting on her youthful face. Her short black hair had a layer of blood soaked on it.
Ruyie's blood burst out of his shoulder, as he fell on the floor with what Max could assume was a shocked face.
The floor which Anna walked towards Max with was a dark red, smelling of death itself.
Not fucking this again.
"I still have enough blood in my body from that fight, to let you experience your friends death, as well."
Fuck off.
Max fell on the bloody floor, in the same way as last time, he was cornered against his will. She got closer to Max until they were eye to eye.
Imagine the spell. I'm going to shoot fire at her. I will say Sham, and raise my hand, then the fire will appear in front of me, and I'll use it to blast her off.
"You knew about Chiro, didn't you? I hate the people who know my secrets. So how did you do it? Who told you?" she whispered into his ear.
"-"
"FUCKING ANSWER ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT."
She took out her other dagger and slammed it into the wall, centimetres away from Max's ear, cutting into Max's long hair.
"Okay… FUCKING AL SHAM!"
His hand was right below Anna's chest when a large ball of fire appeared. The at the top of his voice, Max shouted "Fuck off!"
Anna's face was a royal disgust and anger. It was a mix of surprise, and lividity. A sense of betrayal, and foolishness. The spell blasted her away, crushing her into the opposite wall, and creating an extremely loud sound.
Dizziness. Did I kill her? Oh please lord, please answer my prayers.
***
Moments later he woke up, finding four or five people in steel armour, all around the street, one standing above him. He felt a chilling sensation of being soaked.
"That's enough water, you awake boy?"
In front of Max, was a large, old Guard. The man wore the armour of a knight, without a helmet. He also has a red robe around his neck. The man looked around fifty years old, with grey hair.
"I'm…"
"…alive?"
"Of course you are, we heard a very loud bang here and when we were sent to investigate we found you three. The blonde boy is being immediately treated, so is the black haired one, you were the only one relatively unharmed. Were you three attacked?"
Oh, he thinks we were attacked by another party.
"Anna… the black haired one. She's the Redshadow…"
"Relax, young man. The lady accompanying you could certainly not be the Redshadow. You probably are suffering Mana deficiency; we will not take interviews until you're more stable."
"huh…?"
"May I humbly request you to show your National Pass to me?"
His body felt extremely heavy, probably this mana deficiency. He glanced around him. There was still blood all over him, so much it was slowly soaking into his clothes, and his skin. Around him was neither Ruyie, nor that wicked monster.
"National Pass?"
"Yes, please."
"What's that…?"
The old man in front of him was taken aback.
"Please tell me you're a Perlopian, if you're not then my colleagues will suspect you of doing all this, and I don't want to believe you're a criminal person."
"I didn't do any of this! I only stopped her from killing me!"
The man looked at the floor disappointed. "As a Royal Knight it is my duty to report any unauthorised Persons, whether a National or not, without a Pass. I apologise, and please forgive me."
The man then looked away from Max, and said something to someone.
The world was a dizzy mix of blood, dust and pain. Max's head was screeching with pain.
What the fuck is happening?
He imagined seeing a beautiful woman in Black and White going into the same street where he once died, again.
"...Calla?"
Max blacked out, once more.
***
A chilled sensation again. There was dirt floating under Max's white and brown hoodie, and Dirt stuck in Max's Blue and black Jeans. His hair was grimy and nasty, soaking down his face flat.
He tried moving, but he was stuck. His eyes felt so heavy, that he didn't want to open them.
He smelled like Blood and hell, but he wasn't even aware of it anymore.
His hands were tied behind him, to metal, and his legs were wrapped around each other as well.
As slowly began to recover his senses, he opened his eyes, to a younger man, wearing a white and black, army-like uniform. Something that looked like it belonged to a soldier during the Victorian Era, but it was cool nonetheless. He wore a white robe around his own neck. They were both sat between a table
Slowly Max's dizzy head began to think about the prior events that had unfolded around him. He slowly began questioning his actions.
Why didn't I run away? Why did I fight her? I don't care about that blonde kid, do I? I should've ran away. I should've survived, so what the fuck? I was so lucky to have a second chance at life, did I ruin it? Did I throw it away? Will that girl save me again?
The beautiful girl in all black and white. The beautiful Maidenly woman who had given his world light?
The room he was in was lit only with one candle between the two of them on the table. All outside lights were blocked by the hard stones that the room was made of. He didn't know if he was underground or not, and if there would be light if the walls were removed. The only door was behind Max, where only Hammond would see.
"I am First White Lieutenant Hammond. Do you know why you are here?"
The man looked relatively young, he had short scruffy purple hair, cleanly shaven, and had several rings on his fingers. Max felt a strong authoritative aura from the man in front of him.
"Uh… I was attacked by Ann – a psychopath… and…" Max mumbled in a low and weak voice.
"You were alongside a member of the Black Knights, and you had murdered the woman under the name of Annemarie Lau, which also goes by the alias of Red Shadow. You were an undocumented traveller inside the Holy City, and you damaged property."
"Huh…?"
She's dead? Good lord.
Max was shivering, he was freezing. He was also starving. His last meal before he had gone to the other world had been dinner, the day before going to the library.
Please send me back God. Please, why am I here?
"The court will decide your judgement, and as this is a case on national levels, it will be dealt with fast, but until then, tell me everything you know, so I can assist you in getting a lesser sentence."
"What do you mean…? I didn't – I di'n't do anything wrong."
"What is your connection to the Black Knights?"
"I don't know who the Black Knights are… but Ruyie and Anna. They talked about it."
"Ruyie must be your other companion, I will take it. Well we found a letter of hostility against the Royal Princess on him, and a forged National Pass. He is currently in a drowned condition, but as soon as he wakes up, he will also be investigated."
"What is a drowned condition…?"
"I take it that you are very illiterate, very well." The man in front of Max was genuinely surprised at Max's question. "A drowning condition is a state of beyond sleep from pain or health issues."
"Oh, so like Comatose?"
"Sorry – how did you know of such a word? That is extremely outdated…"
"It is?"
"Well… besides the point. What is your relation to the Ruyie person?"
"I met him there… and he said he couldn't read the address to the letter, and when then Anna came and attacked us… and he helped me survive."
"Do you swear on the Gods and Holy Beasts that what you are saying is the full, complete and unchanged truth?"
"Uhm… yes…?"
Wait, there's no truth magic here? Max expected some form of truth magic to exist in a magical world, but it seemed such a thing was either not possible, or not used.
The gods…and holy beasts? So do they worship multiple gods? Well to the multiple gods, please fucking help me.
"I will be liberal with your testimony, and listen to it, but please don't expect that everything you will say will be believed by everyone. Nevertheless, who are you, and where are you from?"
He didn't ask for my name until now. Actually, most people so far haven't asked my name here.
"I'm Max Spaur, and I'm from… well I guess England…?"
"I have never heard of such a city or country, so are you not a Perlopian?"
"If I had to explain it… I was summoned into this world?"
"Please… I told you I will listen to you, but stop with the stupid nonsense. You are an unknown, aren't you?"
"What's an unknown?"
"A person born in the Black Lands."
"Black Lands…?"
"Besides the point. Your clothing and hair are obviously not Perlopian. You haven't addressed yourself to the Immigration Ministry either, have you?"
"No…"
"Under what basis, did you use a spell in public?"
"It was self-defence goddammit."
"Please refrain from using such language. The mana-observers assumed that you used a Fire blasting spell, could you specify what you used?"
"Wait… huh? I copied the Al Sham attack that Ruyie did."
"Al Sham…? The blast from the attack represented something stronger than the Second form of Sham!" Hammond shouted, as he got up and punched the table.
The light nearly went out for a second.
"What…?"
"Don't pretend to have no magic expertise! On you, was a Second hand Magic book, and you have a natural affinity for Mana!"
"Someone else said that too… well I don't know anything about Mana."
"Here I am, trying to be nice and you've been bullshitting me all this time!? I am a fool to be so kind to traitors and liars!"
The man in front of Max snapped, his face red, while Max distanced his face from Hammond.
"Well since you were useless, thank you. Now I'll discuss your options. You can either have the death penalty or attempt the fucking tomb. And because of all your foolery, I'll rescind your ability to go to a court, so you understand the weight of your crimes.
Dear Lord – s, what the fuck.
"What's the trial?" Max murmured.
"The trial of Desire, if you pass, we'll let you free."
'We'll let you free', those words sounded like a goldmine to the pathetic Max, who had practically stopped listening to the livid beast in front of him. Nothing else mattered, no amount of suffering and pain mattered. He would survive.
"Okay… I'll do it."