Ascending the staircase, Lauri's breath was slow and deep. The image of Richard's body lying on the floor was burnt into his mind – Lauri felt as if Richard's lifeless gaze would stay with him for the rest of his days.
The first person he let die.
Reaching the top floor, Lauri narrowed his eyes at the open door leading to Laurence's bedroom.
Lauri's mind was as silent as his footsteps as he approached the door. Only one thought was running through his mind.
Protect Merry. Avenge Richard. Run away.
Reaching the door, Lauri heard a man's voice coming from inside.
"You have to understand, you have to forgive me… this, I don't want to do this."
He sounded in pain.
Lauri's breath grew heavy as he looked through a gap in the door. Parts of the room were damaged, a shelf Laurence used to display things he found on his travels lay broken on the floor. Trophies and knick-knacks all sprawled over the floor.
The man in dull grey armour held Merry by her hair, the poor girl's face was wet with tears, and the makeup the women and girls used in the village ran down her face turning her usually pale complexion slightly grey. The knife Lauri had given Richard lay on the ground beside her.
Lauri tenderly pressed a finger against the side of the door pushing it open. Granny had always kept the doors in her home properly oiled due to sounds interrupting her sleep as she was a light sleeper.
He slipped in as the door swung wide enough to allow room for Lauri to sneak in. Although Her Aegis was an armour Imprint of medium size, Lauri was somehow able to move freely in it so that his steps were light.
The man couldn't hear Lauri's entrance over the sound of himself begging for forgiveness.
"You'll understand, they always understand. My will is not my own, the Shadowman called for your death, we have no way of saying no… Please, don't look at me that way… Stop!"
The man threw Merry back by her hair, the girl's back hit the foot of Laurence's bed causing her to gasp in pain
Holding her back, Merry raised her head as she tried to speak through her tears.
"Y- You beg for forgiveness, but we haven't done anything. You… You killed Rich, he was only trying to protect me! He didn't do anything! None of us have!"
The man was motionless for a few moments before he took a step towards Merry.
His sword glinted in the light of the raging fire outside.
"No, no, you'll understand, they always understand in the end…"
He muttered the same words, over and over again. "They always understand… Always understand…" Reaching Merry he paused, his body shook, then he paused again.
Lauri carefully stepped behind him, raising the replica of Laurence's staff.
The man raised his sword.
Merry's eyes flicked to Lauri's approach before flicking back to the man.
"They always-"
Before he finished his sentence Lauri brought the staff down, swinging it at the man's head. Lauri's plan was to disorient the man with a strike to the head and then stab him through any gaps he could find in his armour. But Lauri's plan was shattered before it even had the chance to begin.
Following Merry's gaze, the man spun around, the arc of the man's sword changed from a downward strike into a horizontal slash aimed directly where Lauri was standing. Lauri was protected as the blade struck the staff in his hands, but the force of the blow threw Lauri across the room crashing into the wall, a dent left behind as he fell to the ground. The staff was knocked out of his grip spinning away from Lauri.
"Another…" The man's voice was solemn as he walked towards Lauri who had begun to pick himself up. "An Awakened? No, you are far too weak to be one, you are only a Risen… Oh… Please forgive me."
He raised his sword into the air as he slowly shook his head.
"Please under-"
The man's sentence was abruptly interrupted as a short blade passed through the small gaps in his armour, piercing into his shoulder.
With his back turned to Merry, the girl had taken the initiative. Picking up the replica of Lauri's dagger, she stabbed the apologetic man.
"Agh!" He shrieked, spinning around striking Merry in the face with the back of his armoured gauntlet.
The poor girl was sent flying across the room slamming into a bookshelf which crumpled under the force of the impact.
"Merry!" Lauri cried.
Kicking off the wall, Lauri slammed into the back of his attacker causing him to trip. Climbing on top of the man, Lauri grabbed the knife poking out of the man's shoulder. Grinding the knife from side to side, Lauri shredded the man's muscles in his left shoulder.
Lauri tried to keep his hold on the man. But Lauri's meagre resistance crumbled as the man swatted Lauri away. Standing up, he pulled the blade out of his shoulder blade. Crushing it the knife turned into glittering sparkles before disappearing.
"Why are you doing this to me?! It isn't me doing this! It's him!"
Coming to a stop, Lauri coughed as he picked himself up. Looking for the staff Lauri scowled seeing it was too far away.
'What the hell is he talking about?'
Lauri stretched his fingers.
"Would you shut up! Begging for forgiveness as you all slaughter us!"
The man's voice grew hoarse as he yelled, his voice slightly muffled by his helmet.
"We don't want to!"
An orange sword appeared in Lauri's hands. Rushing the man Lauri knew he was horribly outmatched, but he ended up beating Lightstealer, surely he could figure something out here.
The man's blade slashed through the blade Lauri had conjured causing it to shatter, the blade continued until it clashed against Her Aegis.
The force of the blow pushed Lauri to his knees.
Strings of light burst from Lauri's chest forming something within the air. The Imprint took only a second to summon, the familiar glow of Luminescent Helper.
Buzzing towards the attacker, the man tilted his head.
"A- a Hollow?"
Raising his sword he swung attempting to cut Luminescent Helper in half, but just as his blade was about to make contact Luminescent Helper moved slightly to the left causing the attack to swing wide.
As he took another step forward, a sense of dread ran down Lauri's back.
'D- Did I just almost lose Luminscient Helper?'
Lauri tried to capitalise on the moment as the knight's blade was in the last motions of its attack on Luminscient Helper. This Awakened man was both stronger and faster than Lauri, even boosted by his Innate Talent [Darkest Night], the power that boosted his overall capabilities.
Lauri could still do nothing.
Thrusting his sword forward, Lauri aimed at a gap in the man's armour, a small opening where the grey metal plates parted to allow for the man's arms to have more manoeuvrability. A second later Lauri's blade would have sunk into the man's side, but the man reacted far quicker than Lauri anticipated. His blade twisted up knocking Lauri's arm to the side, the man took a step forward raising his word into the air he gripped it with both hands.
Lauri only just managed to put his sword between himself and the blade of his attacker. The man's attack crashed into Lauri, and again and again, the man slammed his sword against Lauri again and again.
After the twelfth attack, Lauri felt something change within his sword made of light. The next moment, his fingers closed around nothing as Lauri's sword shattered into twinkling light. The blade of the man who had been seeking forgiveness was already in motion as Lauri's eyes widened realising his sword had just shattered.
Colliding with Her Aegis, the force of the attack knocked Lauri to the floor once more.
Panting, Lauri rolled away gritting his teeth.
'This is so… Pathetic.'
About to attempt another attack, Lauri froze as a small voice spoke up from the edge of the room.
"L… Lauri… Are… you… still there…"
Lauri's furious gaze softened, he looked away from his attacker. After distracting Lauri's opponent, Luminscient Helper had moved over to a pile at the edge of the room. It was currently buzzing around a pale thin arm that was stretched into the air.
Running across the room the apologetic man didn't give chase. Lauri stopped, almost sliding as he dropped to his knees.
"I'm… I'm right here Merry."
Merry lay in a heap surrounded by bits of the broken shelf she had been thrown into.
Her body looked, wrong. One of her arms had broken when she smashed into the bookshelf, her jaw broken from when the man's armoured fist made contact.
She lay in a growing pool of blood of her blood. Shards of wood sticking out of her soft skin.
She weakly moved her hand, Lauri caught it as it fell.
"L… Lauri, I can't… I can't see your face…"
Lauri felt a feeling grow in his chest.
Lauri's Imprints came undone into strings of light, both Her Aegis and Luminscient Helper. Lauri unsummoned the entire Imprint leaving his body defenceless.
Not that he cared any more.
As his face appeared, tears were already streaming down Lauri's face.
Merry tried to move her hand, Lauri guided her hand to his face. Merry hand was cold to the touch.
A small smile appeared on her lips. Despite himself, Lauri couldn't help but smile seeing Merry smile.
"I'm sorry Lauri, I know… I know it's not the best time… For this… But… I really did like…"
The smile on Lauri's lips died as Merry's voice went quiet. Lowering her hand, he gently reached a hand up closing Merry's eyes.
Lauri knelt on the floor in silence.
The sounds of slaughter outside had begun to die down, the sounds of a raging bonfire and the clash of blades between Granny and the black knight were the only noises throughout the whole village.
Not that Lauri could hear them, his mind was blank.
He wasn't even crying.
The apologetic man slowly stepped closer.
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her, she, she just hurt me."
Lauri was silent, turning around, he tilted his head to glare at the man.
"Just, kill, me."
The man was silent, raising his blade he held it in the air.
Lauri closed his eyes as he waited, his mind was empty. He was in too much pain to think about anything.
It was probably for the best.
If Lauri could, he'd remember his earliest memory with Merry and Richard.
Young kids up to no good, they had sneaked out of the village into an area they had been strictly forbidden to go into.
Not that they did it without a good reason. They just wanted to see Laurence fight.
Lauri grit his teeth. Opening his eyes, he glared at the man opposite him.
The man had lowered his sword, now he was just standing there. If someone were to walk in now, it would seem as if Lauri was glaring at a statue.
"What's taking so long? I thought you were here to kill me! So get on with it already!"
The man's voice was sullen.
"I'm so sorry…"
"Yes!" Lauri shot up, futilely punching the man's breastplate. "I know you're sorry about killing us, so get on with it already!"
"No… Not that… I'm sorry, that the Shadowman has chosen you…"