Inside the king's room, he is seen gazing at the night sky. "When I was young, the star in the northeast shined bright." The king sighs, looking towards the window of his castle, engrossed as he stares towards the night sky. "However as I got old, it became dimmer, and eventually I couldn't see it anymore." The king remarked sadly, staring into his reflection from the window. "I've gotten so old, haven't I?" The king said. "Well, I'll go to bed now." The king yawned and fell asleep.
In the northeast of the kingdom, there lies the Serfa Village. On a bright sunny day, a 4-year-old boy with pale skin, a slim figure, and black hair, named Jeff is sparring with a knight wearing armor using wooden swords. As the two wooden swords clash, everyone watches in amazement, as the boy could hold his ground against a knight. Everyone is in awe seeing the boy swing his sword gracefully and with composure. However, despite the boy's best efforts, he slips and falls to the ground, losing to the knight. "Well done Jeff, you held your ground longer than yesterday!" The knight said, putting his hands on Jeff's shoulders.
"Well, it's all thanks to you Sir Albert," Jeff replied with a smile, referring to the knight. "Well, that's all for today's training." Albert replied, "Let's head over to the restaurant nearby for a treat." Albert said, grabbing Jeff's hand. "Hooray! Thanks, Sir Albert!" Jeff replied, smiling from ear to ear.
The two walked towards a restaurant nearby and sat down in a chair. Jeff is shocked by how many people are there today. Albert raises his hand to take an order, while a male waiter walks towards them with a paper in hand. "I'll take the steak, what about you, Jeff?" Albert said. "I'll take the roasted chicken leg," Jeff said, looking toward the waiter with a smile.
"Is there anything else you would like to order?" The waiter asked as he wrote down what Albert and Jeff ordered. "That's all, thanks. By the way, why are there more people than usual?" Albert asked the waiter, as the crowded voices of the people were spread in the air. "There's an event where young talents from all over the kingdom can enter."
Albert is shocked to hear about the event. "Is there an age limit?" Albert asked. "Well, kids ranging from age 4 to 10 may enter." The waiter replied. "Where can I register this boy?" Albert said, pointing towards Jeff. "You can register him by speaking with the person near the counter, though the line is pretty long." The waiter replied, pointing towards the long line. "Alright, thanks," Albert said, smiling towards the waiter.
About thirty minutes pass as the orders of the two arrive at their tables. "Mmm! The chicken tastes so good!" Jeff exclaimed, munching on the roasted chicken that he ordered. "Well, it's your reward for today's training," Albert said, smiling. "Anyway, do you wanna join the competition, Jeff?" "I'd love to!" Jeff said, still munching on his chicken. "Very well then," Albert replied, eating his steak.
Albert finished his steak while Jeff was busy eating his chicken. Albert stands and walks towards the counter. "I'd like to register my friend here," Albert said, grabbing the registration paper and writing Jeff's details. A female worker walks towards the counter. "Alright, sir. Thanks for registering. The event starts in a week." The worker said with a smile, grabbing the paper.
"Sir, I have a curious question." The worker asked, "What is it?" Albert replied. "I apologize if I were rude, but does your friend, Jeff, have parents?" The worker asked, looking towards the paper. "Sadly, his parents died and he is currently an orphan. I'm just his friend." Albert sighs. "Oh, is that so?" The worker said with concern in her tone. "Yep. Sadly, his parents couldn't watch him compete, but if anything goes wrong, I'm his guardian." Albert replied. "Alright then, good luck to Jeff!" The waiter said, with a dismissing wave.
Albert and Jeff left the restaurant. "Thanks for the food, Sir Albert!" Jeff said, smiling. "You're welcome," Albert replied. "I guess I'll be dropping you off here," Albert said as they walked towards an orphanage. "Thanks, Sir Albert! I'll see you next time!" Jeff said, walking towards the orphanage. As the sun set, Jeff waved to Albert who was walking away. "Can I come train with you next time?" Jeff shouted, hoping Albert could hear him. "Sure!" Albert said, looking towards Jeff.
The moon rises and Jeff appears to be sleeping inside the orphanage alongside other orphans. Suddenly, two hooded men broke into the orphanage. "Everyone! Move or die!" The two men exclaim, pointing their daggers towards the people working in the orphanage. "We'll give you what you want! Please spare our lives!" one of the workers said, with her hands up, kneeling on the floor and crying. "Hand me over all the children in this orphanage then." One of the hooded men said. "Never!" The female worker said. "Then we'll take them by force!" Both of the hooded men shouted, lunging at the workers.
A heated, yet one-sided battle occurred. Many screams and pleas for help were heard, as most of the workers ran away. The children were woken up by the screams and tried to run, when they all got cornered by the two hooded men. "Children! Run!" One of the workers screamed, crawling on the floor with blood stained all over her dress "Hide with me!" one of the children said, as he ran alongside the others. Jeff then wakes up to the call of the female worker, seeing that all the other children left. He picked up his wooden training sword right next to his pillow and carefully walked down the stairs, trembling in fear as he took his steps one by one. He walked in the scene happening within the orphanage, which has been messed up, with blood splattered across the walls, while wounded people wail in pain. Jeff's eyes widened at the sight before him. He walked towards the cornered kids carefully. "Hey! You two!" Jeff shouted with a hint of nervousness. "If you want to get them, you'd have to get through me first!" Jeff readied himself with a fighting stance.
"Trying to be the hero?" One of the hooded men said. "Now's not the time for that." The other hooded man said. "Hey you two, let's get him first!" Another hooded man said, barging in from the backdoor. "Alright boss!" The other two hooded men replied, lunging at Jeff with their daggers. As the two hooded men jumped towards Jeff, he dodged the first hooded man and pierced his sword towards the chest of the second hooded man. The third hooded man joins the attack by bringing out his dagger and charges towards Jeff. He narrowly dodges the third hooded man's charge, however, his sword is still stuck in the second hooded man's unconscious body. After stabbing the second hooded man in the chest, Jeff feels a similar pain he had experienced before, where his heart aches while he freezes in shock. The female worker who warned the children to escape ran away in fear, watching as blood splattered in front of her face, as Jeff killed the second hooded man, while the other children watched whilst their faces turned pale and felt like they were in a cold room, shivering uncontrollably, as their eyes widen in shock as the sight unravels in front of them. They couldn't move or speak, and it felt hard to breathe, as the cold, night air filled the orphanage. The first hooded man saw the sight as his comrade died in front of him. His eyes widen in the perplexity of the situation. He stands in front of the boy who killed his comrade as a mix of emotions floods his face. His grip tenses towards his dagger, charging towards the boy. "You bastard... Die!" The first hooded man shouted, swinging his dagger around while charging. As the first hooded man charges, the children flee in fear, running for their lives. "The boss said not to kill any orphans but to capture them alive." The third hooded man said. "It's just one boy." The first hooded man replied. "Fair point." The third hooded man remarked, charging once more towards Jeff. While the two charge towards Jeff, he pulls his training sword out of the second hooded man's body by pushing him away and dodges the first and third hooded men's joint attacks. As he dodges, he slowly loses consciousness as he notices an opening and goes for it. As the two men charge at him from opposite directions, he jumps higher than he ever had before. The two men hit each other and Jeff grabs their dead comrade's dagger and slashes it towards their necks, with the two hooded men's heads flying into the night. Suddenly, his heart feels like it's gonna explode. His half-conscious state makes him feel dizzy. He looks down to see the three dead bodies on the floor, with blood-stained on his hands and his training sword. Suddenly, he sees a similar sight however in a different setting. Instead, he saw his parents' bodies lying down on the ground, motionless, beside glass shards that could easily pierce through someone's flesh as soon as they stepped on it, as his house burned down. He returns to the current time and his eyes widen feeling the overwhelming guilt.
The female worker arrived back at the scene to see Jeff standing alone inside the bloodied orphanage. "There! There they are!" The female worker said, pointing in the direction of the bandits. "Ma'am, there's only three dead bodies, a bloody room, and a little boy, standing alone with a wooden training sword. Jeff suddenly faints in front of the knights and the female worker. "Jeff!" Is what Jeff heard as he fell into a deep slumber. He felt absolute exhaustion from his recent encounter. After falling into a deep coma, the female worker rushed Jeff to the nearest infirmary in the village. Despite their best efforts, it seemed like Jeff wouldn't wake up for about a few days.
Albert visits Jeff's room inside the infirmary. He sees Jeff's condition and worries as it seems like he won't wake up soon. "It doesn't look like he could participate in the competition." Albert sighed, looking towards the unconscious Jeff. Albert left the room, feeling down, walking away from the infirmary.
As Albert leaves, Jeff slightly opens his eyes and sees Albert's silhouette leaving the room. "Albert," Jeff whispered, extending his hand towards the silhouette. "Wait… for me…" Jeff sighed, falling back to his coma state.
A day has passed, and Albert appears to be talking to the nurse behind the counter. "What? Jeff is conscious?" Albert said, slamming his hand on the counter. "Well according to the other nurse, he moved his arm and fell back to his unconscious state." The nurse replied. "Alright then, tell me when he's fully conscious," Albert said with concern in his tone. That day, Albert left the infirmary for his knight duties. The other orphans also visit Jeff, however he remains in his unconscious state.
Days pass, and Jeff has no signs of waking up. However, two nights before the competition, an enigmatic person visited Jeff by the window. "This boy…" the person said, grabbing something from their bag. "No need to thank me." The enigmatic person said, forcing a certain liquid from a vial down on Jeff's throat. The mysterious person left the infirmary silently, without leaving a single trace.
In the middle of the night, a boy talks to a suspicious person outside the orphanage, their face veiled with a hood. "I failed my mission, Ms. Clairevoir." the boy said as he looked down to hide his shame. "Stupid brat! You had one job and yet you failed?" The suspicious person said as they yelled at the boy. "It was easy to isolate the children while the men chased off the staff so that we could capture them." The suspicious person said, giving a vial with liquid inside to the boy.
"I understand, Ms. Clairevore." The boy said, taking the vial and opening it. "I have failed. You may dispose of me now." The boy added on, as he swallowed the liquid inside the vial. The boy starts to choke as foam comes out of his mouth. Blood seeps out of the boy's eyes, as he falls to the ground, dead.