...Sounds in the forest...
- "V-Vayrënna, she's losing a lot of blood…" said the crying girl.
- "Tsk... I know…" Vayrënna replied, gritting her teeth as she tried to hold back her tears.
- "Where are you, Rydian, Kaelan?" she thought, helpless, while she could only wait for her friend's death.
At that moment, a sound from the nearby forest became audible.
- "V-Vayrënna, something is coming... towards us," said the girl, frightened, as she watched the bushes move closer.
- "Tsk... Lyaris, run into the forest. I'll stay here and hold off whatever is coming," said Vayrënna with a determined look as she prepared to fight.
- "Listen carefully, you need to find Rydian and Kaelan. After that, all of you must leave this forest without looking back, understood?" she stated gravely, her eyes fixed on the movement among the trees.
- "B-But, Miss Vayrënna…" Lyaris began, but she was interrupted.
- "Understood?" Vayrënna asked.
- "UNDERSTOOD?" she repeated, louder this time, staring at Lyaris with a serious expression.
- "Tsk... O-Okay," Lyaris replied, closing her tear-filled eyes and quickly turning to run deeper into the forest.
As she watched the bushes ahead, Vayrënna was sweating and trembling. Even though she was the daughter of a leader and the strongest in her group, she still wasn't entirely ready to risk her life in a fight. Then, as if time slowed down, her mind was flooded with a flashback of a conversation she once had with her father, Rovakar Lycan, when he was still alive.
-- A few years earlier --
- "My daughter… Do you see all this?" he asked one day as they sat at the edge of a mountain, admiring the horizon.
- "Y-Yes, Dad…" she replied, mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape.
- "Well then, my daughter. One day, I won't be here anymore, and all this will be yours," he said with a warm smile as he looked at her.
- "As my daughter, when that day comes, you will inherit my title. This means you'll be the leader of our entire tribe," he continued.
- "And when that time comes, you must be ready to do your best for our people, even if it means giving your life for those who live there. Understood?" he finished, placing a hand on her head.
- "Y-Yes, Dad... B-But... I'm afraid... of dying," she replied with a worried look.
- "Huh? Hahaha... You're still a child, so it's normal to fear death. But know this: you will live a long life and have many stories to tell your children and grandchildren," he said, trying to comfort her.
- "So, there's no need to fear death, my daughter," he added.
- "Also, always remember that death is just part of a much bigger process. It doesn't mean, by any means, that it's the end of everything," he said, turning his gaze to the sky, which was starting to darken. The stars and two moons began to appear, making the scene even more magical.
Then, he stretched out his hand as if trying to reach one of the stars, even though it was impossible.
- "Your mother, for example, was never afraid of death. She died protecting our people, and especially you, her most precious treasure…" he said, his eyes welling up.
- "And, after so much time, I now know that even though she's not physically here with me or with you, she's waiting for us in a very special place," he finished, lowering his arm but still keeping his gaze on the stars.
- "S-She is? And how can we go there? I miss her so much…" said Vayrënna with a sad expression.
- "Hahaha, it will still take a long time before we can go there, daughter. But once we've completed our mission here, we'll definitely reunite with her. Don't doubt that…" Rovakar said, gently patting Vayrënna's head.
- "And when will our mission here be over?" she asked, eager for an answer.
- "Ugh... D-Daughter, that's the one question I don't have an answer for, hahaha," he said, laughing awkwardly.
- "I see... But... I miss her," said Vayrënna, her expression somber as she gazed at the horizon.
- "…Sigh…" Rovakar sighed, noticing his daughter's melancholy.
- "You know, daughter, have I ever told you what your mother used to say when she felt fear, anger, or anxiety, or when she was about to enter a battle? It was her way of driving away those bad emotions," he said, turning his gaze back to the stars.
- "N-No, you've never told me," Vayrënna replied, curious.
- "What did she say?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Rovakar smiled warmly, realizing he had lifted his daughter's mood. Then, enthusiastically, he answered:
- "Whenever your mother felt like that, she would say: 'These feelings are the fuel that feeds the flame of my victory.'" He mimicked his wife's confident and intimidating stance, drawing a genuine laugh from Vayrënna.
- "Hahaha!" Vayrënna laughed for a long time, feeling lighter.
-- Present moment --
Now, in the midst of the tense situation, Vayrënna recalled that conversation with her father. Something within her shifted. The fear that had consumed her moments ago seemed to vanish, replaced by a burning courage.
She, who had been trembling while holding her sword, now displayed a resolute gaze. No longer did she hesitate to face whatever was lurking in the forest. With all her might, she shouted:
- "THESE FEELINGS ARE THE FUEL THAT FEEDS THE FLAME OF MY VICTORY!"
- "YOU WILL NOT GET PAST ME! I WON'T LET YOU HARM MY PEOPLE!"
Without hesitation, Vayrënna charged towards whatever was moving in the forest. With an agile leap, she delivered a brutal strike, a result of the rigorous training she had received from her father.
But the thing in the forest, approaching quickly, was me. I was just about to reach the location when I was greeted with an unexpected sight: a sword aimed directly at my head. Fortunately, my reflexes acted faster than my thoughts. Without thinking, my arm, which held a dagger, moved on its own, blocking the attack with all the strength I had. The metallic sound of the weapons clashing echoed through the area.
- "Huff… huff… Almost there. Let's hurry… Agh, I wasn't that far away," I murmured as I made my way through the tall grass.
- "Finally, I've arrived. Let's help—" I thought, but I was abruptly interrupted.
At that moment, I realized something I had completely forgotten in my rush to assist the injured person: these people didn't know me, and although I had nothing against them, I couldn't say the same about how they might see me.
...sound of blades clashing…
- "ARGH! What the hell is this?!" I thought, gritting my teeth as I struggled against Vayrënna's sword. She glared at me with pure hatred, pouring all her energy into forcing her blade down against my dagger.
- "TSK! Damn it, I forgot she doesn't know me and might react very badly to seeing a stranger approach," I thought quickly.
- "LISTEN! I MEAN NO HARM! I CAME TO HELP YOU! I SAW ONE OF YOU FELL INTO ONE OF MY TRAPS… AGH… I JUST WANT TO HELP!" I shouted, trying to make her understand I wasn't a threat.
But my words seemed to only make things worse.
- "TSK! A HUMAN? SO THIS IS YOUR DOING?!" she yelled, with her rage intensifying.
- "I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" she continued, her strength increasing with every moment.
- "Damn… those markings on her body, her clothes… the fact they're here… That look, full of contempt for humans — just like mine. She's suffered at the hands of those bastards too," I reflected, struggling to match her strength.
Even though she looked malnourished and seemed to be about my age, her power kept growing exponentially as her anger surged.
- "TSK… This isn't going to end well. If this keeps up, she'll kill me," I thought.
- "…Besides, if I don't act fast, the person in the trap… they'll definitely die…" I added in my mind.
- "…Damn it… I need to end this quickly… and if talking isn't an option, I'm sorry for what I'm about to do," I concluded.
At that moment, I resorted to a basic move with my dagger that my father had taught me for situations like this, adding some of the knowledge I'd acquired — particularly about martial arts —to incapacitate her.
First, I made sure she was putting all her strength into pressing her sword against my dagger, which, thank the heavens, hadn't shown any signs of breaking yet. Then, I quickly turned the dagger to its flat, smooth side, allowing her sword to slide off and letting me guide its trajectory so that it missed me and passed by my side.
With that war of attrition over, I dropped my dagger and instinctively assumed a Muay Thai stance. Taking advantage of her sword being buried in the ground from the force she had been exerting, I delivered a swift spinning kick.
Luckily, the kick landed, striking her face and knocking her out almost instantly.