"We're leaving..." The guard snapped the reins as the oxen started to move. The rain softened to a gentle drizzle. An eerie fog lied ahead the road. The pathway was filled with dust and mud. It was no different than a future desert. Kael sat in the cart while Leon and Virelle were lying unconcious. Kael's eyes were about to close.
"If you don't survive..." He muttered to himself.
It was then when Leon opened his eyes. Leon's eyelids twitched before slowly parting. His vision was a blur of muted colors and shifting shadows. A dull ache pulsed through his skull, each heartbeat sending another wave of pain behind his eyes. A throbbing pain spread through the back of his head.
"Where...?"
His eyes widened in realisation. "Did we escape?" He asked Kael. Kael's gaze drifted toward Givera. "Y-yes," he muttered, unable to hide the unease in his voice.
Leon rubbed his eyes and pushed himself upright. The sight of the ruined town sent a chill through him. He quickly scanned the cart, only to realize someone was missing.
"Wait..." His eyes widened. "Where is Sir Knight?" He looked at Kael.
Kael's expression darkened as he closed his eyes.
An explosion rolled across the distance.
Leon turned toward the town. "What was that?"
For a moment, Kael said nothing.
He averted his gaze, his jaw tightening. It was as if looking back would force him to acknowledge a truth he desperately wished to ignore.
"Is... Sir Knight..."
"No..."
Leon froze.
Then he rose to his feet and looked toward the town.
Amid the ruins, a faint golden light still shone from one of the distant streets.
"No..."
His hands trembled.
Kael's silence told him everything he needed to know.
He clenched his jaw.
"Why?" His voice cracked. "Why isn't Sir Knight with us?"
Kael opened his eyes and stared into the fog swallowing the road ahead.
"It was his decision. This cart was too slow. If he had come with us, the beasts would have followed our trail."
Leon frowned, unable to understand.
"But he saved us..." he muttered. "He could have come with us. We could've fought any beasts chasing us! There were only, like, a hundred of them. So why?"
Kael fell silent for a moment.
"If my calculations are correct, those beasts were summoned by a man's wrath."
Leon's eyes narrowed.
"Givera is no longer a ruined town," Kael continued. "It has become a beast spawn."
His gaze remained fixed on the fog ahead.
"The beasts will continue to emerge. More and more of them. Eventually, they'll leave Givera and descend upon the next town."
Leon felt his stomach sink.
Kael lowered his head.
"Roderic... he stayed behind to make sure that never happens."
Leon's voice rose.
"So he'll just keep fighting until he dies!?"
Kael remained silent for a moment.
"It was his decision."
His tone was calm, but there was a heaviness behind it.
"A knight's resolve is not something others can discard."
Leon slowly sat back down as the realization finally struck him. There was nothing he could do to change the truth before him. Roderic had stayed behind. Roderic had sacrificed himself so that others could live. A tear escaped the corner of Leon's eye, and he quickly wiped it away. His gaze shifted to Virelle, lingering on her sleeping figure. She didn't know yet. She had no idea what had happened, and Leon knew she would lose herself when she learned the truth. A heavy weight settled in his chest. He felt weak. He felt useless. While a knight stood alone against death itself, he was sitting here, fleeing to safety. The very man who had saved his life had been left behind to suffer alone. Guilt clawed at his heart as he lowered his head and gripped it with both hands. No matter how much he hated it, no matter how much it hurt, he lacked the strength to do anything but watch as another person carried a burden he could never hope to bear. He bit his tongue to stop thinking. But these thoughts just didn't stop.
"All my life, I have never done anything worthy of praise. I have never done anything worthy of love. So why am I being saved?"
"A man who dedicated his life to protecting others. A man stronger than anyone I have ever known. A man loved by the people."
"He is the one facing death."
"He is the one left behind."
"And I am the one escaping."
"He stands alone while I run."
"Why is he getting sacrificed?"
"Why not me? I am not worth a dime. Nothing good can come from saving... me."
"I even caused a civilian's death. While he saved them I killed..."
"Why am I like this..."
"Why am I so useless."
"I couldn't even save myself! The Stranger saved me from death, while I... just waited."
"It's because he is a knight." Kael said. It was like he read his thoughts.
"A... Knight..."
An hour passed as the cart continued along the road. The fog still hung heavily over the landscape, swallowing the world beyond a few dozen meters.
Suddenly, the cart lurched violently.
"I won't let you leave, brat!"
A furious shout rang out from the front.
Chains covered in countless blinking eyes shot through the air and wrapped around the guard driving the cart.
"Aaaahhh!"
The chains tightened.
Blood sprayed across the road as the man's body was crushed apart into two.
"What?!" Kael stood up, drawing his sword. "Who—"
More chains burst from the fog, coiling around his body before hurling him from the cart. Kael crashed onto the muddy ground and slid several meters before coming to a stop.
Standing in the middle of the road was Quinn.
One hand rested behind his back while the other manipulated the writhing chains surrounding him.
Leon's eyes widened.
His body froze.
Every instinct screamed at him to run.
His trembling gaze fell upon his sword.
Fear gripped his heart. His hands shook so badly he could barely move them.
Yet another image forced its way into his mind.
A knight standing alone against an endless tide of beasts.
A knight who had chosen to stay behind so others could live.
Leon clenched his fists.
All this time, I've done nothing.
Nothing but survive while others bled for me.
His trembling hand slowly reached for the sword.
"I won't let them die. At least this time... I will save these two. I will do something useful."
The chains shot toward him.
They coiled around his body, wrapping around his arms, legs, and torso.
Leon's eyes widened.
Then he closed them.
It might already be too late.
"Alright," Quinn said with a grin. "You're under my control again. Take a step forward."
Leon stepped forward.
Quinn burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Isn't this amazing!?"
"Leon!" Kael shouted, struggling to his feet. "What are you doing?!"
No answer came.
Leon simply walked until he stood beside Quinn. "He's under my control, you bastard!" Quinn exclaimed. "Now go. Kill the brat sleeping in the cart." Leon turned toward the cart. He took a step forward.
His grip tightened around the sword.
Then—
The world turned grey.
Everything slowed.
Quinn's laughter echoed through the stillness. Kael was forcing himself upright, desperately trying to intervene.
Leon's eyes widened.
He could think.
He could move.
He was never under anyone's control.
He had closed his eyes before anything had happened.
In a single motion, Leon twisted around.
Quinn's stopped laughing.
Leon's sword flashed through the air.
"Aaaahhh!"
Blood sprayed across the road. Quinn stumbled backward as his arm—the arm controlling the chains—fell to the ground.
"Youuu!!"
Quinn staggered backward, clutching the stump of his severed arm. The shock in his eyes lasted only a moment before it was replaced by a twisted grin.
Kael didn't give him time to recover.
With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, sword aimed straight for Quinn's chest. Steel cut through the air. A wall of chains erupted from the ground and intercepted the strike. The impact sent sparks flying as Kael was forced back a step. "You're not getting away!" Kael roared.
The earth beneath Quinn suddenly rippled, like a pond disturbed by a stone, the ground softened and began to pull him downward.
Quinn's grin widened.
"Another time."
His body slowly sank into the earth. Kael dashed forward, reaching out with his other hand.
"Stop!"
But it was too late. The ground closed over Quinn, leaving nothing behind but disturbed dirt. Kael's breathing grew heavy as he scanned the surroundings.
"Did he escape?"
The chains had vanished.For a brief moment, it seemed the battle was over. Leon lowered his sword. Then a hand shot out from the ground behind him.
Leon's eyes widened.
Before he could react, Quinn emerged from the earth and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him tightly against his body.
"Got you."
"Leon!" Kael shouted.
Quinn started laughing.
The ground beneath them began to ripple once more. Leon struggled, but Quinn's grip was too tight.
"Let him go!"
Kael sprinted forward, but he was too far away. Quinn's body started sinking into the earth, dragging Leon down with him.
Leon reached out instinctively.
"Kael!"
Kael threw himself forward, desperately trying to close the distance. The ground swallowed them up to their waists. Then their chests. Then their shoulders.
Quinn's grin was the last thing visible above the surface. And then they were gone.
Kael froze. His eyes trembled as he stared at the empty road.
"No..."
He took another step forward.
"No!"
His voice cracked.
"Leon!!"