Somewhere within the quiet forest, a warm breeze blows through the leaves and scatters some fire embers already crackling around the Knight's body.
Dom gulps nervously. Despite not being the target of this man's rage, it is still enough to make Dom's body shiver.
Elon laughs, his expression still confident. "Send me to hell? I'm an S Class. You can't beat me." Elon said as he releases his green aura.
Dom flinches as the powerful yet also creepy sensation immediately washes over his body.
"Kid." The Knight said without looking back. "Since you can walk, you better get back." As he said that, Dom notices his red aura transform into flames that quickly surrounds his body. "… I might not be able to hold back everything."
Dom stares briefly in confusion before nodding. But as he tries to stand, Elon's eyes flare up.
"You're not going anywhere. You're still my prey!"
Elon raises his arm which creates a small yet vicious looking whirlwind over his palm.
"I'll slice you both into fillets."
Elon stomps down, cracking the ground as he thrusts his arm forward.
"Cyclone Slasher!" Elon shouted as the spiral of wind instantly magnifies as it's thrown towards them.
Its massive size completely overshadows their bodies and slices through everything in its path.
Elon smirks, proud at the sight of the destruction… before gasping once his spell suddenly disperse, revealing a vertical cyclone of flames which also disperses, revealing both the knight and Dom completely unharmed.
Elon steps back, a nervous sweat bead sliding down his temple. "Impossible." He uttered.
"You said your class to intimidate me, right? Too bad." The Knight's flames intensify, the loud hissing sound of the surrounding moisture echoes around him. "I'm not the one outclassed."
Elon suddenly groans as his skin starts to burn despite being far from the Knight. He uses his wind to protect his body from the swirling heat.
Meanwhile, Dom notices something strange… He looks around, his eyes noting the surrounding trees and bushes spontaneously combust from the unbearable heat. But other than rising smell of smoke, Dom doesn't feel anything else.
Despite everything literally burning around him, his clothes and skin are not even singed. Instead, the heat felt more like a warm blanket around his body, comforting him and settling his still trembling body.
Elon steps back, the heat threatening to overwhelm his wind protection. "What the hell are you?" He asked, his confidence quickly crumbling.
The Knight takes a low fighting stance with his already steaming fists held up in front of him.
"Head Captain of the Royal Knights' 3rd Division."
The name adds an extra load of tension.
Dom's mouth hangs open. That title belongs to a name that everyone in the entire Great-Land knows by heart.
"Anthony Justice… The Dragon." Dom mumbled.
At first, Elon trembles as both the name and the Knight's aura bears down on him. But he quickly suppresses his fear.
"Hah! There's no way a Monarch would show up in a small town like this." Elon shouted; a naive smile now formed on his still pale face. "You may be strong but if you can spit a lie like that…" He raises his arm and points his palm at Anthony. "… you must be really stu-"
Elon's words hang in his throat once he realizes that he could now only see Dom… with Anthony nowhere in sight.
A shock wave suddenly explodes from where Anthony was standing, instantly blowing Dom aside.
Elon desperately looks around, heavy sweat beads sliding down his face as his eyes rapidly search for the now hidden threat…
That's when he feels a familiar heat to his side. He turns only to meet a flaming fist colliding with his cheek. Even from where Dom is sitting, he could hear the crunch from Elon's jaw.
With a following shockwave, Elon slides back several feet where he leans over and spews out a couple teeth along with some blood.
Elon groans, his eyes reddened from the intense pain in his broken jaw and scorched skin. He looks up, his mind so rattled that Anthony appears as a blurry spot that calmly walks up to him.
Elon sways on his feet, his arms raised with a weak wind current spiraling around his body… but he groans as Anthony's flaming fist connects with his gut, forcing more blood out of his mouth.
Elon drops to his knees, only to immediately meet Anthony's foot which sends him flying.
As Dom watches Elon's helpless body crash into a tree, he can't but feel pity for this previously terrifying enemy.
Elon slides to the ground, his body too weak to even react to the flames burning his clothes and skin.
"Even after all these years, there are still so many scums like you. It's irritating." Anthony said as he casually walks towards Elon who now desperately crawls away.
"Just do us all a favor…" Anthony added as he raises an arm, a small fire ball hovering over his opened palm. "… and burn in hell with the rest of your kind."
He lowers his hand, and Dom watches the fireball hover gently towards the retreating Elon, like a firefly lazily moving through a garden.
Until it touches Elon's back and instantly expands with a resulting explosion that rattles the entire forest.
Dom grunts as the sudden shockwave barrels into him, sending him flying… but Anthony grabs him mid-air and shields him from the destruction rapidly created by such a small spell.
A couple seconds later, the chaos settles… The howling winds die down and rumbling of the ground stops…
Anthony releases Dom, looking at his body for signs of injury before turning to view the after-effect of his attack.
Dom looks past Anthony's body, his blue widening to their limit once he sees that everything around them is now completely scorched into cinders.
There is not a single trace of Elon's body, even a single leaf or branch is nowhere to be seen for miles.
Anthony stands to survey the area. "Yeesh… That was a little overkill." He said as he scratches his black-gray hair while Dom falls onto the solitary patch of grass under him. The only piece of vegetation protected from the carnage.
This wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
The sheer overwhelming power, speed and pure ease Anthony defeated Elon with leaves Dom completely speechless.
As Anthony turns back to him, Dom trembles.
But this wasn't only due to the fear of the monster in front of him. In the midst of the fear, panic and relief… another strange emotion filled Dom's paralyzed mind.
Inspiration.
2 days later…
A funeral is held in the towns graveside for the lives lost during Elon's hunt.
It takes place around 5 pm in the evening and even though its attendants are not much, it was still a heart-wrenching event.
Among the attendants, Dom now in a black hoodie and jeans shifts uncomfortably somewhere in the back of the small crowd. He reaches up to rub the bandage on his left cheek while he stares at the man giving the eulogy.
As the man goes on, Dom turns to the sound of sorrow and finds Matt's mother on her knees, weeping loudly while the town Chief just stares blankly at the coffin.
Dom's eyes begin to wander, taking note of the other attendants who all grieve in their own way, especially the relatives of the other victims.
That's when the scene of those boys' death flashed in his mind. His throat dries as he recalls that eerie tension, the sound of Matt's scream and sight of blood…
Dom's body trembles… just as a gentle hand rest on his head. He looks up and finds Pops giving him a comforting smile.
With that, Dom's nerves settle, and he manages a weak smile back. He turns back to the eulogist before finally seeing a certain magic knight watching the ceremony from a distance.
Now, the memory of Anthony's confrontation fills his mind. His body trembles again but this time, he holds a determined expression on his face.
By the morning of the next day…
Just outside the main town's gate, the town chief shakes Anthony's hand with a sad smile. As the Chief walks back to the town, Anthony frowns.
"I'm getting too old for this shit." Anthony whispered to himself.
"Says the man that blew up half the forest." A slim young knight wearing the same uniform as Anthony said as he walks up to Anthony.
Anthony turns with a shrug. "I said I was sorry." He said.
The Knight rolls his white-pupil eyes which amplifies the already scary burnt scar on the left side of his face. "We're good to go." He said as he hands Anthony his formal hat and walks towards the carriage behind them.
The scarred knight then stops to glare at one of the two escorts on horse-back, a young red-haired with a punk hairstyle and a lit cigar in his mouth.
"Can you stop that?" The scarred knight said, his tone now annoyed but the young escort just rolls his eyes until he notices something in the distance.
The scarred knight already halfway up the carriage's driving seat, follows the red-haired's gaze back to Anthony still a couple feet away with his eyes now fixed on two approaching figures, one of which he recognized immediately.
Pops stops and despite his experience as a former soldier, he can't help but feel intimidated by the large man in front of him. Despite this, he manages to put on a grateful smile.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Dom's guardian. With everything going on these few days, I never got a chance to say it." Pops bows his head. "Thank you for saving him, General."
Anthony nods at Pops with a smile. "I'm just glad I got there in time. How is he?"
Pops turns to Dom. "His wound is fine, but it'll likely leave a scar. I'm just happy that's the only thing he got. As for his mental state," He rubs Dom's head. "I think he's doing okay given the situation. He's a tough kid. In fact,…" He nudges Dom forward. "… he said that he had something to say to you."
"Really?" Anthony asked as he turns to Dom who has not been able to make eye contact with him since that day. Anthony moves a little closer and gets on a knee to stare directly at Dom's face. "Dominic, was it? What did you want to tell me?" He asked with a friendly smile.
Pops gently pats Dom's back, giving him a friendly boost to finally speak.
"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Dragon."
Anthony nods, attentively. "You can just call me Tony and you're very welcome, Dominic." .
"Um… I… I…" Dom trailed off, his hands fidgeting with his jacket.
Pops stares at Dom, curious while Anthony patiently waits for Dom's next words.
After a brief moment, Dom takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes before widely opening his mouth.
"I'm going to become the greatest knight!"
Dom's bold words create a certain awkward silence with every listener staring in complete shock...… except for Anthony who suddenly bursts out laughing.
"I see. The greatest knight, huh." Anthony chuckled.
Dom nods, his expression still determined. "That's why I want you to tell me… how can I become like you?"
Anthony's smile slowly fades. "You mean after what you saw, you still want to become a soldier?"
Anthony notices Dom flinch. It's obvious that the memory still haunts him.
Anthony shakes his head. "Not to rain on your dream, kid but there are a bunch of scarier monsters. Ten times worse than Elon." Anthony's expression hardens as he goes on; "And I don't just mean the bad guys."
Pops frowns in understanding.
"I know." Dom grumbled.
Anthony raises a brow at Dom's lowered gaze and tightened fists. "From the story books and stories, I hear, I know about the kind of monsters you fight. But I… I didn't know how scary they really were until…"
Dom pauses as a shiver fills his body at the thought of Elon's sadistic smile.
"I was so scared that my body wouldn't move. I thought I was going to die just by being around him." He closes his eyes as he tries to forget that terrible feeling.
"Dom." Pops mumbled; his gaze softened as he stares at his ward.
Dom takes another short pause before finally looking directly into Anthony's eyes. "But you weren't like that."
Anthony frowns clearly confused.
"Even though you were like 10 times stronger than him, your mana didn't really scare me. It was like… Um…"
Dom looks around as to find the right words. His eyes then fall on a nearby bush. "Like your fire. Even though it was hot enough to burn everything, I didn't get burned."
"It was hot enough to burn everything… but to me, it was warm and fuzzy like porridge."
While the description is childish, Anthony smiles. Almost everyone he's saved in the past, fail to notice his heat manipulation spell. Yet, this kid did.
Dom looks at his hands as he explains further. "It made me feel safe. Like nothing bad could touch me." He closes those hands, forming tight fists. "In the end, you're all soldiers so I know that you're forced to … kill sometimes."
Anthony nods and Dom smiles at him.
"But even though you have the power to kill anyone with just one spell, you also use that power to help good people. I want to be like that. A fire that can protect people but still fight the bad guys."
Another beat of silence fills the air, and Dom finally notices how the grown-ups are looking at him.
"Is… is that bad?" Dom asked as he looks around.
Unknown to him, the question he asked is something that left the adults speechless. It's a question with such a touching thought that they wonder how a child could come up with it.
Anthony's grin widens even more. "You sound just like me when I started out in the army."
Dom's eyes light up. "Really?"
Anthony smirks and places his hat on Dom's head.
Despite the massive size covering almost half his skull, Dom grins as he holds onto it.
Anthony then stands and looks at Pops. "You're a former soldier, right?"
Pops raises a brow. "How did you know?" He asked.
"You walk like one." Anthony commented as he dusts his pants. "I may not know you but after hearing him, I can tell that you were a commanding officer. You trained a good soldier."
Pops glances at Dom with a proud smile. "It appears so."
The two share a smile which Dom doesn't fully understand.
"So how can I become like you?" Dom asked again, adjusting the big hat to look at Anthony.
Anthony smirks at the boy. "If you're already thinking that way at this age, then I think you're already on the right track." He pats Dom's head. "Just keep it up and you'll be fine."
Anthony gives Pops one last smile which Pops responds with a salute. With that, he walks back to his carriage.
"Wait. How can I do that if I don't even have an affinity yet?" Dom asked.
Anthony stops abruptly. "You have no idea, do you? Of course not. There's no one to tell you." Anthony said, making both Dom and Pops confused. He turns around, revealing his amused grin.
"Uh oh. Nothing good ever coms from that smile." The red-haired knight said and the scarred knight sighs heavily.
Anthony raises a finger, his entire body radiating with confidence. "In that case, I'll give you a hint." He points at Dom. "The best power isn't always the most complicated. Sometimes, you just have to work with what you have."
With that, he turns back towards the carriage.
Dom blinks, his mind even more confused. "Wh-what. Wait! What does that mean?!" He asked.
Anthony laughs as he opens the carriage door. "You're the one that said that you wanted to become the greatest general. Solving a little riddle like this shouldn't be too hard for you." He said and steps into the vehicle.
Anthony looks at Dom through the still opened door. "Once you figure it out, you'll complete your first step." He points at his hat now in Dom's hands. "When you're ready, come join my division and bring that hat. It'll be proof that your goal is still the same…" He places a hand on the door handle.
"… and a promise that I'll help get you to the top any way I can." He added with a grin that sends shivers up Dom's spine.
Tears water the boy's eyes but he grins as he tightly cluthes the hat in his hands.
"I will! I promise!" Dom responded enthusiatically.
Anthony chuckles and closes the door. With a flick of the reins, the horses pull the carriage forward with the two escorts in tow.
"Why didn't you just tell him what his power was?" The scarred knight asked with a glance at the window behind him, which displays Anthony take out a bottle of alcohol from a suitcase.
"Because I've always wanted to sound like a wise old man like Jin for once." Anthony chuckled as he pops open the bottle before taking a huge gulp. He lowers the bottle and lets out a loud sigh, his senses focused on the liquid's bitter-sweet taste.
"Besides…" Anthony said as he stares at the bottle. "… if his hair is already like that then he's already manifested it. He was going to figure it out sooner or later."
The scarred knight's expression darkens. "Still, I never thought I'd see one of them in a place like this." He said.
Anthony nods and takes another gulp.
"Should we report this to the Capital?" The red-haired knight asked.
Anthony lowers his bottle with a burp. "Don't bother. You know how those guys get whenever they even hear about one. They'll eventually find out when he comes back to join the army. Let him have his freedom for now."
"Do you really believe that boy's words?." The scarred knight asked.
Anthony laughs.
"I'm surprised you can still say that after hearing him, Roy." Anthony said and Roy; the scarred knight turns to meet Anthony's confident smirk. "Those weren't the words of a child. It was the declaration of a soldier."
"If you say so." Roy said as he focuses back on the road.
Anthony leans into his seat, his red eyes fixed on the ceiling. "The Next Emperor." He closes his eyes and recalls a white-suited figure donning a long white cape, like those in superhero comics.
"Dominic." Anthony mumbled, his smirk widening. "I'll be waiting."