Adam's view switched to working on a strange wooden handle. Though he did not know what it was, he somehow knew what he was doing.
("I was given the sword's design. Although I was not a blacksmith, they asked me to create the accompaniments of the blade. Day after day, I worked on pieces upon pieces. As my day continued, news of the war reached my ears.") [Askyros]
"Hey, have you heard?" [Curious Young Boy]
" My husband said the Sovereign of Greed is invading…" [Wandering Housewife]
"How scary…" [Wandering Housewife]
"The front lines are getting worse…" [Disabled Soldier]
("Sovereign of Greed? Is he related to the Sovereign of Faith?") [Adam]
As the days went by, a new pattern arose. Every month, the envoy of the Sovereign of Faith would come by, ensuring work progressed smoothly. On his latest visit, he brought along with him an armed escort.
"Work seems to be going well." [White Robed Man]
"..." [Askyros]
He silently continued to sand a wooden handle whilst inspecting it repeatedly, ignoring the robed man.
"...Are you not going to offer hospitality to a guest?" [White Robed Man]
"You aren't a guest." [Askyros]
("Dropping the formalities then…") [White Robed Man]
With a light sigh, the robed man reached into his pocket.
"You know, I DID come here to bring you a letter." [White Robed Man]
Askyros stiffened and immediately relaxed. After setting down his wooden handle on a nearby table, he stood up and approached the robed man.
"What was this about a letter?" [Askyros]
The robed man handed him a crumpled ball of paper and smiled.
"Here you go." [White Robed Man]
"...Is this a joke?" [Askyros]
"Open it. Your father sent this a week ago." [White Robed Man]
Holding himself back from wiping the robed man's smug grin off his face, Askyros unraveled the crumpled paper.
"..." [Askyros]
In barely decipherable handwriting, it read:
"How are you doing son? I'm doing fine for the most part. I've made a new friend in my troop, but there's no telling when either of us will be gone. I heard that you took up the job that I turned down for my sake... I-s-da-g--ous. Don't worry about me, just do whatever you want." [Alyk]
Somewhere near the bottom, Askyros noticed the somewhat broken and scratched text.
("Well… Knowing Alyk… His handwriting seems about right...") [Adam]
Askyros crumpled the paper again and slipped it into his pocket.
"...Thank you. Now that you have delivered the letter, may you see yourself off?" [Askyros]
"So you do know how to give thanks when it's due. Minus the attitude." [White Robed Man]
("Another month passed, and a new inspection came. This time, someone else arrived before the envoy did.") [Askyros]
The scenery shifted, leaving him in front of the house. Before him, stood a man with a bandage over his left eye along with a missing arm. He wore a uniformed jacket over his shoulders and
"Excuse me, are you Askyros by any chance?" [Bandaged Man]
Askyros looked the bandaged man up and down before answering.
"Yes, are you here to place an order?" [Askyros]
"Oh, no. I'm actually here to deliver something." [Bandaged Man]
("That sounds suspicious.") [Adam]
He used his one good hand and took out what seemed like a decorated wooden insignia. Upon closer inspection, it had the name Alyk Ventyk carved into the backside.
"This is…!" [Askyros]
Adam felt a surge of sorrow, confusion, and nostalgia all at once.
("Isn't this Askyros' first successful project? He kept it all this time?") [Adam]
"It was your fathers.Though the time we spent together was brief, he was my closest friend. He saved my life, but… it cost him his life." [Bandaged Man]
"...How did he die?" [Askyros]
The man's gaze wandered and a solemn expression appeared.
"The Sovereign of Greed invaded… His soldiers went around the front line and ambushed us. They had… Scripters… When they used Vortex Slash, I couldn't get away in time. As you can see, I lost my eye and arm." [Bandaged Man]
("Scripters? Vortex Slash? Hm… Must be something like heroes and abilities in my world...") [Adam]
"Oh… I'm… sorry about that." [Askyros]
"Don't be. If Alyk didn't push me out of the way, I wouldn't have gotten away with just this." [Bandaged Man]
"...Thank you for telling me this." [Askyros]
"I would have liked to deliver this news two months ago, but it took a bit for me to be able to stand up much less walk around." [Bandaged Man]
"Two mon- What?!" [Askyros]
("Huh?! Two months?!") [Adam]
At their moment of realization, the envoy appeared along with his escort.
"How's work coming along- Hm? That's a new face." [White Robed Man]
"YOU BASTARD!!" [Askyros]
In a fit of rage, he charged up to the robed man and grabbed him by the collar. The escorts around him drew their swords, but stopped when the robed man raised his hand.
"What is it?" [White Robed Man]
"YOU LIED TO ME! YOU TOLD ME MY FATHER SENT THAT LETTER A MONTH AGO, BUT HE'S ALREADY DEAD!!" [Askyros]
The robed man was taken aback, but regained his composure in an instant.
"Tsk! Seize him!" [White Robed Man]
("Oh, this turned out for the worst!") [Adam]
The armed men began to swarm him, but Askyros flew into action. He flipped the robed man around and wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Guahk!" [White Robed Man]
"Stay back or I'll snap his neck!" [Askyros]
The escort froze and he took the opportunity to back away slowly.
("I don't even know what's going on anymore!") [Adam]
Inching backwards, he felt his back bump into something. He glanced behind him, but felt a sharp pain in his neck.
"Ughk!" [Askyros]
His legs wobbled and his vision blurred. His grip loosened and the ground seemed to be coming closer. The last thing that caught his eye was the bandaged man before everything turning black.