Time soon passed, and Claude found himself in the settlement for his fourth day. He sat near the village guard as they trained, watching their movements. The guards, worked tirelessly, their sweat-soaked tunics clinging to their bodies as they practised swings, thrusts, and defensive stances.
As they finished their current set of movements, the guards sank onto the ground, catching their breath. Claude approached Peter, who sat wiping his brow with a piece of cloth.
"Have you guys fought before? As in actual combat?" Claude asked, his curiosity piqued. He needed to understand more about this world. Simply observing would not be enough for him.
Peter shook his head, a hint of embarrassment flickering across his face. "No, most of us haven't. The only ones who have truly fought are the village guards who have gone out with Karl to search for Ruins. They're the experienced ones."
After a moment of silence, Peter sighed. "This wasn't always our home." He looked at the sky above.
Legends spoke of a night sky that once stretched like a vast canvas, alive with vibrant colours and immortal lights, eternal in their brilliance. Yet now, all that remained was a void—an empty, inky expanse.
"We used to live in a much larger settlement, a proper town of the kingdom, where we and our ancestors had lived for centuries." His voice dropped slightly as he added, "But the Bloodborne... They invaded and destroyed everything we had worked so hard to build."
Peter conjured a reluctant smile. "At least we were lucky. As a fringe town, we weren't in danger for over a century, unlike those bigger cities..." He shook his head grimly. "The Bloodborne prefer fighting tougher, stronger opponents. It's why we were able to survive for so long."
Claude tilted his head, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. He glanced at the other guards, some now idly chatting, others adjusting their weapons. "So, you've had time to rebuild?" he asked.
Peter nodded slowly. "Yes. This village was carved out of necessity, but it's never felt like home. We've learned to endure, but enduring isn't the same as living. That's why we train. In case we have to fight… or flee again."
A heavy silence hung between them. Claude felt a pang of understanding. He knew all too well what it was like to be plucked from a peaceful life and hurled into chaos and danger.
'Would I have been able to continue living in the village if others survived...' A melancholic thought flashed in Claude's mind. 'Could we have... rebuilt? Or lives... and the village.'
Nevertheless, with a forceful shake of his head, he tried to dispel these thoughts. 'Not again. I cannot dwell on what-ifs... No matter how much I would want to...'
"And Karl?" Claude focused back on the conversation. "He's the one in charge of all this?" He gestured at the training ground.
Peter's expression brightened, if only slightly. "Karl's our leader. He's… well, he's the reason we've made it this far. When the Bloodborne came, he rallied us and led us to safety. Now, he trains the guards and oversees everything. He's hard on us sometimes, but it's because he knows what's out there."
Claude looked at Peter. He could feel something burning within Peter and the other village guards. Something he had tried to chase. Tried to grasp.
Hope.
He felt envy gnawing at him. Hope. What a distant thought.
'What is there left for me to even hope for,' he thought, his chest tightening, 'in this big, uncaring world...?'
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Later, Claude arrived at the village centre, where a group of children sat cross-legged on the ground, their faces alight with fascination. Before them stood a young woman with raven-black hair and emerald-green eyes.
"The Khorshid Kingdom rose from the flames of war," she began, her tone vibrant with pride. "It was forged with a single mission: to guard humanity against the unrelenting assault of the Bloodborne."
"It was Ardeshir who forged this great kingdom," she said, her expression glowing with reverence. "He was not just a warrior but a visionary. He abolished the rigid hierarchy that had governed our lands for so long and gave everyone equal oppurtunity. Believing that strength came from unity, he decreed that anyone—not just the nobility—could train to become a knight and be given lands."
Gasps and exclamations rippled through the children. Their eyes widened, and one of them, a boy with an eager expression, raised his hand. "Can I become a knight? I want to protect everyone!"
Dorothy answered with a smile. "Yes, if you work hard and remain true to your ideals, you can." Nevertheless, melancholy hung in her eyes.
Her gaze then shifted, and she noticed Claude standing at the edge of the group. Her eyes widened briefly, and she offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there, Emissary. Can I help you?"
"Agnes told me I should come here if I wanted to learn more about the world," Claude said.
The woman's smile deepened. "Then you're in the right place. Please, join us."
With Claude's presence, she resumed her lesson, recounting the triumphs and victories of the Khorshid kingdom. She spoke of its struggles, its sorrows—and, finally, its end.
Her voice took on a sombre tone as she spoke. "As the years went by, strange derelicts appeared across the world—mysterious ruins filled with horrors and mysteries beyond our wildest imaginings."
"Wrought with ambition, or perhaps greed, the Kingdom sought to harness the treasures and knowledge hidden in them to bolster its own strength, but this ambition proved to be its undoing." A wry smile hung on her lips as she spoke.
"Ardeshir had accompanied his men to one of these ruins. Yet it was here, that he and his men vanished." She paused. "He never returned and his fate remains unknown. Nevertheless, his absence marked the beginning of the Fall."
The children listened in hushed silence, their earlier enthusiasm doused by the weight of history. When the lesson ended, they dispersed, chattering excitedly about what they had learned. Their voices faded into the distance, leaving Claude and Dorothy alone.
"I have questions," he began. "What are the Bloodborne? And these ruins… what exactly are they?"
Her expression turned grave, her vibrant demeanour wilting. "The Bloodborne are a plague upon humanity. Records could not give the scholars of the past an exact date when they appeared. We only know that these monsters only appeared in the last millennia, when humanity first began to coalesce and form kingdoms and empires. When we began to pray to our Gods..." Her gaze dropped at the mention of Gods.
"After Ardeshir's disappearance, the Kingdom fractured. Without his leadership, no proper resistance could be mustered, and the Bloodborne overran us. Humanity now exists only in isolated settlements, surviving in the corpse of what was once a prosperous kingdom."
"As for the ruins, they are strange cities that appeared across the land—their origin unknown. They house both incredible dangers and untold treasures, drawing the brave and the foolish alike. While the Bloodborne don't originate from these ruins, they seem unnaturally drawn to them..."
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Time passed, and Claude found himself back at Agnes' tent, the scent of herbs and oils thick in the air. He carefully observed her as she worked, her hands steady as she mixed and ground ingredients into a fine paste.
Agnes glanced at him. "Did you find what you were looking for today?"
Claude nodded slowly. "I learned a lot. It's helped me understand this world better. Thank you."
Agnes waved his gratitude away, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Don't thank me. Thank the brilliant souls who form this settlement and fuel it with their knowledge and courage. Every story, every lesson—it's all a part of what keeps us going."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of loud cheering from outside. The sudden burst of noise rippled through the tent. They exchanged a glance, Agnes's brow furrowing slightly as her hands stilled mid-motion.
"What is going on out there?" She murmured. Her palms briefly clenched before she smoothed them against her apron, as she stood. "Come, Claude. Let's find out what all this fuss is about."
The two stepped out of the tent. The cheering grew louder as they neared, punctuated by bursts of laughter and animated chatter.