The city square of Zeq'arr was a marred battlefield, with craters littering it as far as the eye could see. The people, who initially gathered with curiosity, quickly fled the scene.
Standing all alone amidst the sea of craters was a middle-aged man, visibly exhausted, and holding a glowing green sword.
"I've lost track of how long I've been fighting you... But it seems like... T-this..." Edmund lost his speech, trying to catch up with his frantic and labored breathing.
Hudat Mann floated down eloquently, almost with the same spooky aura, but a lot more menacing this time with the hood down.
Edmund had cuts all over his body, some of them slightly bleeding; the others were just shallow cuts.
"I do commend you on your endurance. For your age, that is." Mann said as he landed and started to walk closer to Edmund.
Edmund's grip on his sword tightened, but all he could do was just watch. "His speed—that's the first issue. After that, there is his overwhelming range. If there's no way I can get past those two things, there is no way I can get the upper hand."
"I think I may be able to beat him if he also used a sword, perhaps." Edmund thought. A small smirk appeared on Mann's face, seemingly able to understand his thoughts instantly.
Mann held out his hand, and for a second, nothing seemed to happen. With the blink of Edmund's eye, a sword appeared in Mann's hand.
"What?" Edmund squeezed his eyes with his hand and blinked again, but the sword that he thought was a vision did not disappear.
"You wanted me to fight you on your turf, didn't you? You've earned that chance. Come at me now." With that, Hudat Mann quickly swiveled the sword over to the side, and he turned sideways to meet Edmund in the position of a fencer.
"I really don't like this, but I have one shot. I'm going to give it everything I've got."
The air was heavy with tension as Edmund adjusted his grip on his glowing green sword. With a swift motion, the exhaustion disappeared from Edmund's body as he reinforced himself with magic and charged at Mann.
Mann also held out his sword and walked towards a charging Edmund.
The atmosphere around the city square was eerily quiet, and the only sound that anyone could hear were two sets of footsteps and, if one were atop at a distance, a glowing green sword.
Edmund clenched his teeth as he faced Hudat Mann, and time seemed to slow down in anticipation of the clash.
Edmund could see his own reflection on his battered sword as he contemplated his own fate.
"How did it come to this?
---
All Edmund could think of was the letter that was left on the house table when he got back from court.
Even now, the words of those letters are echoing in his mind.
Dear Father,
I hope this letter finds you well, though I doubt it would bring any peace to you.
I've been meaning to tell you something. I don't quite know how to put this into words, but I've always felt like I've been dragging you down. This feeling of weighing you down and being a burden has been eating away at me for far too long.
I want you to know that I'm leaving. Now, you don't need to panic, thinking that I've lost my affection for you, but, in fact, I'm doing this exactly because I love you, Father.
All our lives, I've felt like I've been holding you back, like a parasite that refuses to let go. I've seen the tiredness in your eyes—the tiredness of dealing with other people and what they have to say about me.
Despite all of that, I've also seen that you always put me first before anything else and refuse to give up on me, despite my misfortune and absentmindedness. My heart shatters into a million pieces, thinking that I'm the one causing all of your pain.
I was told every day that this would catch up to me, and I guess it finally did.
But, as I write this, wiping tears from my eyes, I want you to know that, starting today, I'm no longer a burden to you. You are no longer chained down because of me. You're finally free, Dad, free of me and the responsibility that comes along with it.
I'm writing this letter not to ask for your forgiveness but to beg you not to come looking for me. I know you would move heaven and earth to find me, but I can't let you sacrifice any more for me. I need you to live your life without constant worry about my whereabouts and well-being.
I'll find a way to survive on my own and make amends for the trouble I've caused. This is my journey to embark upon and my battle to fight. I believe that by letting go, I'm giving you a chance at a peaceful and dignified life.
I love you more than words can express, and it is that love that pushes me to make this painful choice.
Maybe one day, if I'm doing fine and you're also happy, we can maybe meet for lunch somewhere. At the chicken stall, perhaps? Anyways, I feel like this letter is getting too long; I don't want you to think that even reading this is a chore.
Take care of yourself, Father. You deserve all the happiness in the world.
With love,
Mae.
With a metallic crash and sparks lighting up, the two men crossed each other, one standing and the other kneeling.
Edmund's senses finally kicked back in, and he was in seething pain. He glanced down to see nothing but red. Mann's sword had gashed him deeply.
"You thought I was suffering because of you, Mae?" Edmund said to himself.
"Alas, It seems like that's all you've got, Edmun."
*Clang!*
Hudat Mann was taken aback as he saw a still-bleeding Edmund standing up and fighting back.
"If it's for you, Mae, I can live through all the suffering a hundred, even a thousand times!" Edmund reinforced his mind, forcing the pain out and focusing it all on giving his best.
"Mae, you shine in my eyes because I suffer behind you, and if you have to shine brighter!" Edmund launched a flurry of attacks at Hudat Mann, who was surprised by his speed.
"He's getting... faster?" Mann thought to himself, "Looks like you got more in the tank!" He proclaimed it in an excited tone, clearly ready to play ball.
"Then I'm going to burn through my life to make sure you are still the shining star in my eyes!" Edmund said to himself as one of his attacks finally broke the defense of Hudat Mann, and he had a clear shot.
"THIS IS FOR YOU, MAE." Edmund screamed, his blade slicing through the air, aiming for the vulnerable spot in Hudat Mann's defense, and time seemed to grind to a halt.
---
[some distance away]
A girl in a red bounty hunter's dress was running and making her way to Zeq'Arr.
"Just wait a bit longer, father; I'm almost there!" Mae said, with a face drenched in sweat but a cold and calculating look on her face.
[At the rusty inn]
"Where's Mae?" Esther asked Leona, who was lying on the bed, getting ready to sleep.
"I don't know; I thought she was with you, Esther," Leona said, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Ahem-" Katie coughed, disrupting the room's atmosphere, with a nervous face as she pushed the laundry cart in. "Please put in the dirty bedsheets," she said, looking down at the floor and avoiding eye contact.
Esther quickly cornered Katie against a wall. "Spill it," she said, her voice filled with killing intent.
"She looked at a silver card before saying she has some sort of old score to settle!" Katie blurted out.
"That sly woman," Leona commented, instantly springing up from the bed in surprise. "She really is so full of herself, Esther. She thinks she can get twenty million all on her own."
"Don't worry, we can do it for her." Esther said, with the same cold military voice, as she picked up her staff and pulled a top out of her wardrobe. "Let's go save our little Miss Warriors princess, shall we?"