The next day, Eiji was awakened by a repeated thud. Someone was banging on his door.
"Eiji! Eiji! Open the door! We have an emergency!"
In a few seconds, he got ready, put on his armor, and equipped himself with his weapons. He rushed to the door and opened it brutally.
He came face to face with one of his guards, who had his blade drawn. He was out of breath and wounded here and there.
"Daisuke, what's going on?"
Daisuke's face paled slightly as he tried to speak.
"Bloody... Bloody eyes! Hundreds of them! They... They roam the streets, attacking anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. You have been asked by Major Kawasaki, your father, to organize the evacuation of the civilians."
Eiji took Daisuke by the shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Get some rest. You've earned it. I'll leave you to take care of my family. Where is my father? I'll find him and ask him if I can take care of securing this area."
"He's not too far away! On the outskirts of Ichibaoki!"
"Very well, thank you. I'll be quick."
Eiji held his sword tightly and ran as fast as he could. The surrounding grounds were large, so the residential area was spread out. It took him several minutes to reach the market. Fortunately, he didn't have any bad encounters along the way, although he could see some fighting in the distance.
When he reached the border between Ichibaoki and Nichisuki, he saw a group of guards in the distance. Despite the commotion, he quickly saw his father.
"Major! Captain Eiji reports!"
He turned around, relieved to see his son safe and sound.
"Eiji, there you are at last. I hope your mother and sister are doing well."
After greeting his father, Eiji adopted a more relaxed posture and a less severe tone.
"Yes, don't worry. Daisuke is taking care of them."
The major sighed slightly, a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders.
"Father, I have a request for you."
"I am listening."
"May I please arrange for the evacuation of the civilians in this area?"
Eiji bowed out of politeness. He didn't know how his father would react. Even though he didn't brag about it, he was one of the best fighters in the area. His help at the front was invaluable.
"Well, permission granted. Take care of Ruka and Tsuneko."
He turned to two other guards standing nearby.
"Lieutenant Misao, Second Lieutenant Asami, you will help Eiji to evacuate Nichisuki."
"Yes, Major!" They said in unison.
The three guards regrouped and consulted. Eiji, as the highest ranking, spoke first.
"Misao, Asami, do you have more information about the situation in the neighborhood?"
Asami, who was in charge of communications, replied:
"Yes. We have about 30 cases in the area. Several extermination groups have been deployed, but..."
"But?"
Hesitantly, she took a deep breath before continuing.
"Some of the Bloody Eyes are guards. Among them is Major Ameshiki."
Eiji's eyes widened. That name was well known on these plains. Even if he wasn't the highest ranking, he was undoubtedly the best fighter in the city, if not in the whole region.
"So Ameshiki succumbed..."
"Yes. We do not know his whereabouts right now, only that he is currently in this area. He is said to have already killed six guards, including an officer."
Eiji couldn't help but worry about his family, but he quickly collected himself.
"Good. We have to organize the evacuation, let's gather all civilians outside the city, Nichisuki gate. Asami, you go to the east, and you will also be our communication relay. Misao, you take the west. I will go to the north. Do not forget any house. Don't forget: try not to fight. If the fight is unavoidable, call me. I will come quickly to help you."
"Understood!"
The two saluted Eiji. Asami pulled out three small pieces of paper with an identical symbol.
"These two talismans will allow communication over long distances. Do not lose or tear them off, or you will be isolated."
She gave each of them a talisman, which they quickly stuck behind their ears.
"Well, good luck to you."
After these words from Eiji, the three guards separated.
This time, Eiji took his time to check every house and every plot of land to evacuate the remaining civilians. Most of them were still sleeping or hiding. Quickly, he led several dozen people out of the town.
"Follow me and stay close together! If you see any Bloody Eyes, let me know!"
As he walked out of the city, he brought a hand to his neck, where he had placed the talisman.
"Misao, Asami, is everything okay with you?"
Misao was the first to answer:
"Don't worry, we almost arrived. No bad encounters."
"This is Asami, we saw some Bloody Eyes, but we managed to avoid them."
"Well, don't linger, and especially watch your back. Over."
Halfway from the end, Eiji saw some people fighting a few hundred meters ahead. The attackers, who were in the middle of the main street, could not be avoided since some houses had not yet been evacuated.
Eiji made a quick decision and whispered to the people behind him.
"Wait for me here. I'll clear the way. I'll be right back."
Quickly, he ran in the direction of the fighting. Two of them carried swords and seemed to be guards, while the last was fighting with a broken glass bottle.
"Guards, report!" he shouted.
But no one answered.
When he got close enough, he noticed that all three had blood in their eyes. He drew his sword with an unpleasant shriek.
Hearing this sound, the three stopped fighting and turned to face Eiji. Without hesitation, he lunged at them. The first to react was the old man with the broken bottle. With his left hand, he grabbed Eiji's sword, which sank deep into his hand, causing blood to flow.
As the blood flowed down the blade, the old man tried to stab Eiji with the bottle. The latter dodged it skillfully. Seizing the opportunity, Eiji managed to pull the blade out of the old man's grip and stabbed him in the chest.
He quickly lost his footing and collapsed to the ground, his blood spilling onto the dirt road. The other two reacted quickly and attacked together with a slash of their swords. Once again, Eiji dodged with a step back.
A bit quicker, he was the first to regain his posture and thus delivered a blow to the throat of the first guard. Taking advantage of the moment, the second guard tried to reach Eiji again, but this last one used his victim to block the blow and then projected it onto his opponent to destabilize him. This one fell, and when he hit the ground, Eiji pierced him, right in the heart.
Even though he was devastated after this one-on-three death struggle, only a few seconds were enough for him to catch his breath and his spirit. He sheathed his sword and signaled to the civilians that the way was clear. Soon they were nearing the exit of the city. Only one last house remained: his own, where his mother and sister were still trapped.
Since the way was clear for the other civilians, he let them leave the city first. He didn't want them to risk their lives any longer. Especially since he saw a shadow lurking around the pavilion.
He explained the situation to his colleagues.
"Asami, Misao, I took several dozen civilians out of town. Please take care of them. I still have to secure an area."
"All right. Take care of yourself, Captain."
"All right. Take care of yourself, Captain."
"Got it. I'm already here. I'll receive them."
"I'm counting on you. Over."
Eiji opened the gate of his house and moved forward carefully, watching his blind spots. Instead of entering through the main gate, he walked along the walls on the left side - outside the city, then he could enter through the back door.
As he approached it, he heard repeated thuds as if two heavy objects were colliding. He quickened his pace. There, clawing at the door with his hands and occasionally slashing with his blade, was a man with long black hair.
Eiji recognized Commander Ameshiki easily, thanks to the dark hakama he wore and his obsidian sword. This frustrated Eiji immensely.
Shit. This guy is much too strong, even for me.
Eiji discreetly grabbed his blowpipe and fired a projectile that easily lodged in the last guy's throat. The blowpipe projectiles were impregnated with an anesthetic substance that weakened the victims.
However, the expected effect did not occur. On the contrary, it only made the commander more agitated and he turned to Eiji. He shouted with all his strength, sword in hand, and lunged at Eiji.
Although he was not as fast as his opponent and certainly not as physically strong, he managed to draw his sword in time to parry the blow that Ameshiki threw at him.
When the two swords clashed, Eiji took a step back, as Ameshiki had the upper hand. One could also see a large cut on his sword.
Here was one of the reasons Eiji was so reluctant to parry: steel swords had a good cutting edge, but were too malleable and would quickly deteriorate if they collided with another weapon. Obsidian blades, on the other hand, were much more resilient.
His options were limited, so he took a few steps back and stood guard. The two warriors looked into each other's eyes. Although Ameshiki had lost his mind, he certainly had not lost his warrior instincts.
They remained like this for several dozen seconds. The first to lose patience was Ameshiki, overcome by the rage that possessed him.
Still on guard, he rushed toward his opponent. He was so fast that it was difficult to make out the tip of his sword.
Eiji could hardly read the movements of his opponent. Once again, he was forced to parry. The impact was so violent that a spray of sparks flew from the blades. Ameshiki continued to strike, damaging his opponent's blade even more.
Just as the fight seemed to be over for Eiji, a third person appeared. Armed with a long sword with greenish reflections, he approached Ameshiki so quickly that Eiji almost didn't see his movements.
With a skillful movement, he disarmed him before delivering a fatal blow to his chest. Then he drew his blade back gently, shaking it with a fluid motion to remove the blood, while the swordsman's body collapsed to the ground like a stone.
The swordsman then turned towards Eiji while sheathing his sword. Dressed in a long dark leather tunic, his green eyes and blond hair showed that he was no local. Eiji did not know this person. But on closer inspection, one could see that his ears were slightly pointed, betraying his elven affiliation.
"You must be the brother. I hold your family. Follow me if you want to see them one last time."
Eiji, still reeling from his fight, did not immediately understand these words.
"You hold them?"
Without warning, Eiji took up his sword again and threatened his savior.
"Release them."
But this did not frighten his opponent. He was surprisingly calm. He stretched his arm towards Eiji's sword and grabbed it. In an instant, it broke without the elf spilling a drop of blood. Then he took Eiji by the collar and looked him right in the eyes.
"Listen, boy. It's not that I don't have the power to kill you. It's just that I don't have the desire or the right to do so. If you want things to stay the way they are, at least for you, you'd better calm down. Do you understand? Can we talk calmly now?"
No words came out of Eiji's mouth, and he could only nod his head. He had never seen anyone so strong before. The elf let him go before continuing.
"My name is Tahrren. I'm one of the Soul Chasers, but I guess you've never heard of them, have you?"
Eiji nodded. He had never heard that name before.
"I'm not surprised. We don't often act in public, so in a remote area like this, it would have been a miracle if you knew our name."
"And so. What do you 'Soul Chasers' do?"
Tahrren paused for a moment before continuing in a slightly lowered tone.
"The Aarhèns. You saw them, didn't you?"
"The bloody eyes?"
"Indeed. Immortality is an unnatural power. Those who possess it corrupt the living. Be it soil, plant, human, or any other race that has the misfortune to come near them. They are a plague to our world."
The elf stopped. They had reached the backyard. There, Tsuneko and Ruka were tied to a tree.
"Please untie them."
Eiji could only lament. He would risk his life to save her, but he knew it would be in vain. Tahrren was much too strong.
"I can't. Your little sister is sick, right? Pale skinned. Physically weak, including respiratory failure. Nature didn't spoil her - hemolytic anemia. Her body is destroying itself. I knew a boy who had the same disease. He fought his own body for nine years before he succumbed."
"But..."
Eiji was overwhelmed. He could barely stammer out a few words. As if paralyzed, he only managed to approach a few steps toward his family. But without reaching them: a firm hand interfered. Tahrren's hand.
"How does a little girl survive such a disease for a dozen years when even the luckiest succumb to it within a decade?"
The elf took three small empty vials from the leather pouch attached to his belt and threw them at Eiji's feet. A few pale red drops could be seen trickling down the glass walls.
"Diluted dragon blood. A medicine made from the blood of an immortal animal. Its essence allows for a longer life span, even for the dead on borrowed time."
Tahrren turned back to Tsuneko, Eiji's mother.
"But I wonder. How did you come up with that?"
Scared, she answered him, her voice vibrating:
"Please don't hurt me! I don't want to die! I will tell you everything! I promise you! It was... It was at the market. The shipments are not always checked... They sold them as products to prolong life and cure diseases. I took some for my daughter. But I could not resist and consumed it as well. I don't know the names or faces of the merchants. They always hid them behind masks..."
Tahrren walked away, then sighed. A look of regret crossed his face. It was clear that he did not like to scare others. But that was how the atmosphere around him was. While the city was under attack, he was here sequestrating people.
"What people don't know is that the side effects of these drinks are very severe. Not for the user. But for those around him. Immortality comes at a price. Even for those who are born with it, like dragons. An unnatural power cannot ally itself with it, leading to the corruption of the living. The manifestations can vary from case to case: plants die, and diseases spread. The appearance of the Aarhèns is also classic. The corruption reaches the brain of the victim, who loses his mind completely."
Tahrren paced. It was part of his job to explain the origins of the ills that plagued Ninakami City.
"We, Soul Chasers, exist to stop the spread of this corruption. To do that, we must eliminate the immortals. Even if you have only drunk this potion once, you are still a carrier of corruption. But we are not an assassins' guild. Think of us more as an inquisition whose only possible sentence is death. The only question now is, how do you want to die? Will you accept death and leave this world with honor, or will you fight to the end? A gentle and peaceful death, or a violent one, is all I can offer you."
"Wait!"
Eiji grabbed Tahrren's tunic.
"You can't kill her. I will never agree to that! Isn't there another way?"
Tahrren kicked him hard, knocking him to the ground.
"Listen, boy. Innocent people are dying every second because of them. The only way to stop the slaughter is to end their lives. If you want to stop me, then try! But it will cost hundreds of innocent lives, and probably yours. Do you think you can defeat me?"
Eiji could only give up. Helplessly, tears streamed down his face. It was unworthy of a warrior to cry. But right now, he could not hold back.
In that moment of confusion, a faint but clear voice sounded.
"Don't worry, big brother. Everything will be fine. I've already lived well. These years of happiness by your side have been sublime. It is time for me to go."
Tahrren approached the two women. He released their bonds.
"So, you accept your death?"
At these words, Tsuneko tried to run away. She ran as fast as she could but in vain. A shadow quickly approached behind her and pierced her heart.
She collapsed, leaving a pool of blood behind. Her face was etched with terror. At this sight of horror, Eiji couldn't help but let out a small, sharp cry of pain. He held his head in his hands and clutched his face so tightly that he involuntarily scratched himself.
Finally, Tahrren approached Ruka. She did not resist. Seeing this, he put down his sword and picked up a flute from its sheath. He brought the beak to his lips. The melody he played was calm and soothing. As if transported, Eiji managed to pull himself together. It was as if nothing had happened yet, and everything that was to come was the natural order of things. Finally, an atmosphere of peace reigned in the residence.
Ruka's eyes closed slowly. Before she fell to the floor, Tahrren managed to pick her up. He laid her on the ground with her back to a cherry tree. Her flawless face was bathed in the glowing autumn sunlight. Finally, the rustle of the wind carried a pale pink petal across her childlike face.