[Alex POV]
I don't know where I was, no trees, no houses, it was all just a dark and empty space. Beneath my feet was water, it was only ankle deep. Speaking of feet, I didn't feel the emptiness that should have been for my amputated toes. That also happened to my hands … and…
I held my head, I don't want to remember that, that couldn't be true. Yes, it was just a dream, even though the place I was in right now was no different from a dream, I would rather think that I was taken to this place by some force than accept the other thing.
" Please… please, I don't want… it's not fair. I'm too young! It can't end like this!"
I screamed and screamed but there was nothing here, there was nothing but me in a dark creepy place. The surface of the water suddenly glittered and light gradually spread everywhere. I looked up at the sky, the huge red halos intertwined. The whole place was dyed with the color of the sunset. The shape of the halos, I had seen it somewhere. In the middle of the lake was a figure, a man, he ran to me.
" Alex!"
" George san?"
" Where are we? I thought you were…"
George grabbed my shoulder. He looked extremely scared and shocked, but I was too no different. It took me a while to utter some words.
" George-san, you're not an illusion are you?"
" Of course not! How am I an illusion? I should be the one who asked that!"
" If you're not can we.. you know, slap each other?"
George hesitated for a moment and then slapped me in the face, and I gave him a similar blow. Immediately the pain spread, making my cheeks heat up.
" Haha, this is not an illusion after all that was painful as hell."
George seemed happy, but I was the complete opposite.
" No… no, this's an illusion, you are not real."
" The hell? Don't you feel anything?"
" It was hurt."
" Then why?"
" Remember what the big woman Aoki said? I'm using pain killer, there's no way I could feel pain. And even if I get hurt, it won't be like this."
" Alex, please believe me, now is not the time to daydream. Please get me out of this place!"
" Out of here? How do we even get here?"
" What? Aren't you the one who brought me here? You know, Teigu or something?"
George's words woke me up. Rune… so this whole place… I looked up at the sky where the Halos were glowing red, a symbol. It was what I saw 12 years ago and in all of my nightmares.
" Rune of bond, rune of bond…"
" Alex, what are you talking about?"
I stared at the rune trying to do something to it but nothing happened.
" Hmm? Alex what are you doing, I don't understand."
My legs suddenly sank, and my whole body sank into this weird puddle. I tried to swim but to no avail, instead of water, I felt like I was struggling in the vacuum space and was getting sucked down more and more. Before I was completely submerged, George took my hand.
" Alex, hang on!"
After he pulled me up, we then immediately jumped backward. Under the glittering light, we could see the ground before us was gradually disappearing.
" Shit run!"
We ran, ran, and ran, this entire large area was empty with nothing in sight. After about 20 minutes of moving the ground in the area where we were heading was also slowly 'corrosion'. In a panic, we ran in different directions but no matter which direction we, everything was slowly sinking into the 'dark sea'. George and I sat down somewhere in the middle of the rest of the land. Although I was still fine, George tried to get his breath back.
" Hahaha my physical strength is so weak that I lost even a child." - George laughed.
" What the hell are you laughing at? If we don't do anything we will die! God damn it! We're gonna become 2 floating corpses here!"
" …"
I didn't care about honorifics to George anymore, my mind was a mess right now, and I don't want to die. Why was I so stupid? I was just a normal person, a kid. I shouldn't have interfered with anything in this world, I should have escaped to a faraway place to grow vegetables and raise chickens. That's right, even if there was no me, the insurgent would win, wasn't that what happened in the manga and anime? What the hell was I doing here?
" You, it's all your fault… I shouldn't have saved you back then. And your damn daughter, too. I wouldn't get caught up in something like this!"
The city lord said nothing, he stood up, clenched his fists, and walked toward me. Was he going to hit me? I was not that weak for someone like him to bully. Before he could do anything, I kicked him in the groin and threw him down, even though I looked like this, I was much stronger than a normal kid. I locked his hand and was about to break it.
" Alex! It's hurt!"
" Hurt? You tried to hit me and you were not afraid of getting hurt?"
" I was not!"
" So what did you want to do? Don't tell me you were going to give me a hug or what?"
" Yes… that's what I thought."
"…I… I'm sorry."
I let go of the man's hand and huddled in a corner. George gritted his teeth and groaned in pain, he stopped trying to get close to me.
" Alex, if that's what you thought, I apologize. I dragged you into this."
" …"
" You were just a child Alex. If I was a better man, if I was a better city lord, this tragedy should never have happened."
My hands were trembling. I knew this was not entirely his fault but my mind couldn't stop blaming George. This was always my nature, always blame, in the end, the only thing I had ever cared about was myself. I wanted to hit the guy but it was pointless. Hitting him wouldn't solve the situation. There was nothing I could do to change this situation. I made the wrong decision even before I was born. Why did I get stuck on the thought I must have power to survive in this world? I could have just… stayed somewhere far away from the war. Tears began to stream down my eyes.
" Would you like to hear a story, Alex?"
" …"
" I'm not an optimist. From what I see, we're… likely to meet our end here. I just don't want the last moment of my life was just a quiet awkward moment."
" Whatever…"
George let out a long sigh before telling his story.
" We were friends you know, me and Alan. Not 30 years since he stepped his foot in this city, it was way before that. He was a good man, a good friend, a good father, and a good husband. A man with such talent like him you know, could have become the greatest general but he chose to stay in Onobu to help me build a beautiful city away from the corruption happening in the empire… "
What happened?"
His story piqued my interest. Alan Gurrag was a good person? If one told me penguins could fly it would be more believable.
" It was my fault. He was falsely accused of a thing he had never done. I…I had no choice but to order temporary detention, that was a mistake. I should've never done that, I should have trusted my friend rather than believe in those slanders."
" But his case was solved right?"
" Yes but the thing is… when the case was solved, the damage had already been done. His wife… was killed in broad daylight on Onobu's street… had only I protected her. Things wouldn't have become like this. Yes, you were right Alex, all of this was my fault."
"…"
" These things. I never told anyone, but I don't want to die with it. Thank you for listening Alex."
" It's nothing…"
" You know Alex, I just wanted my daughter to live happily. I should've sent her away, I was too selfish to do that. Thinking of her being with Alan's child, this has to be my retribution."
" …"
" Draco Marcus. Have you ever heard that name?"
My eyes were wide open. Of course, I knew that name, was there even someone in this empire who didn't know that person? He was the minister of national defense. The head of Marcus's house and he was probably my… grandfather.
" Although I don't have any evidence, I think that man was the one behind all of this. "
What do you mean?"
" He was Alan's teacher and —"
Our time was coming to an end, and the part of the land we could stand on was narrowing and becoming a circular shape.
" Alex kun, it's not too bad to have a companion like you at the end."
Unlike the guy. I kept shaking, tears were welling up. I wanted to scream but even if I did, it would be in vain. George took me in his arms, he tried to comfort me from what was about to happen, but my fear didn't ease at all. I didn't want to die, I didn't want to end up in this dark cold place.
Suddenly from the depths of the darkness, standing on the water suddenly appeared a figure.
" D-Dad…"
" Alex?"
" Please save me, dad!"
Although I didn't consider that man to be my father, I wanted to cling to any hope to continue living. The man's finger pointed in my direction, he muttered something. The light in the sky suddenly became dazzling. In both my hands and George's were ancient runes.
" This… was this what you gave me at that time after saving Latina…"
No words were spoken, no instructions, but we both knew what we had to do. We could understand it like breathing. I immediately clung to George's shirt.
" Please, save me, George!"
" Alex… this…"
" Please! I do not want to die!"
Still, with his gentle face and gentle words, George shook his head.
" I'm sorry."
" What the hell? didn't you say less than an hour ago that you would repay me no matter what? Now is the time!"
" That… I'm sorry, I'll give you anything but my life and my daughter's."
" Bastard!"
I punched him in the face, this hypocrite. What the hell? With his sweet words about wanting to comfort me, with wanting to repay me? I thought he was a good guy. I kept shouting and hitting him but by the fifth punch something was wrong, my hands faded and it pierced through George's body leaving only a breeze. I feel short of breath, my neck…
" Sorry Alex kun, I'm so sorry. I have to save my daughter."
" Aghh!"
An invisible wall stood in front of me and George. The ground in the direction I stood gradually disappeared. while the ground where George stood remained intact. I found it harder to breathe. At this rate… I will die. Before I lost my voice, I took a deep breath. Trying to get my composure, I looked straight at George and gave him a sarcastic smile.
" Saving your daughter? I'm the only one who can save her right now."
" What?"
" In less than 5 hours, she's going to die painfully, her flesh's gonna fall off bit by bit until she becomes nothing but bones and a rotten heap of flesh."
" No, you're lying."
" We're connected. Trust me or not, judge it yourself."
" No no no! How could you!"
" How could I? The audacity of a fcking bastard you are George. I saved your fcking daughter and your fckin ass! Without me, you're both fcking dead! And this is how you repay me? One tried to kill me and one let me die?
" No! Please! I'm sorry!"
" Don't be sorry. I don't need that sh*t. The only thing I wanted from you was that. Do it so that I can save your daughter!" – I pointed at the rune on his hand
I was laughing at how pathetic the city lord has become. I somehow bear hatred against guys like this even more than Alan. I clung to the last piece of ground before it collapsed and I was swallowed by the darkness.
" Come on we don't have much time!"
" I…I can't trust you. There's no guarantee you're gonna save her!"
" Trust? Those sh*t matter right now? You have only 2 choices: let me die here and your daughter's 100% dead or save me and she'll have a chance to live."
The last piece of land that I cling to has also disappeared. My body gradually sank into the vast sea. My arms were now just bones and broken into pieces, and so was my neck. My body collapsed into the water before my head dropped. Am I going to end up like this?
[3rd POV]
The entire space suddenly shook violently and the red light gradually changed to the color of blood, covering everything. George screamed in pain, crackling sounds came from all over his body, his skin peeled from his body, and his body constricted. Blood was gushing from his ears, eyes, nose, and any holes in the body.
" P…ease .. sa.v. h..r…"
Those were the last humanly sounds from George before his face melted. In the place where George was, formed a bloody heap of flesh. Inside of it, something was trying to get out. After a while, a small hand poke out followed by a slender feminine figure with pure white hair. Now drained in blood. The figure looked back at the messy chunk of flesh for a moment and then disappeared.