Doubt clouded Arthur's mind as he stood on the road, caught between Josh and the blonde-haired elf kneeling behind him. His teeth were clenched. His face was defiant. Blood still dripped from his right wrist, painting the green grass below in crimson.
Josh was all grins. He walked toward Arthur casually, spinning a medium-sized Blade between his fingers in perfect sync, running his mouth the whole time. "Hehe… back off, kid. I won't repeat myself again."
Arthur ignored the warning. He charged forward—reckless, furious, carrying a tightened right fist for a punch.
But the moment he got within range, Josh swung the dagger straight at Arthur's face.
"Eh—"
Arthur's eyes widened. He jerked his head backward as fast as he could, retreating a step, but the blade's tip still scratched his left cheek, leaving a thin cut—not too deep.
Even with Arthur's momentary retreat, Josh followed up. He stepped closer and drove a fist into Arthur's forehead, knocking him off his feet. Arthur fell backward onto the green grass, landing near where the elf knelt.
"Geez, you got guts, kid. Charging in like that to protect a girl you barely know. Haha." Josh let out a chuckle and kept approaching.
Arthur hit the ground, his eyes still open, staring up at the sky. He felt dizzy from the punch. The elf leaned closer, her face blocking his view of the blue sky , her hands clasped together, panic etched across her features.
"...Mister..."
Arthur ignored her and pushed himself back to his feet. His face was set in a defiant glare at Josh. Behind him, the elf spoke again, softer this time.
"Mister…"
This Time Arthur replied without turning, his voice equally soft. "Yes. What is it?"
The non-hesitant reply—despite his pain, despite the blood—caught the elf off guard. A flicker of something warm crossed her face. Her voice trembled as she spoke, pleading, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry for putting you through all this. I… may… maybe…" Her voice cracked, but she pushed through. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked for your help. Now I've put you in great danger… and because of me… y-you are going to die!"
The atmosphere seemed to shift around her words, heavy with despair.
But Arthur remained unfazed. His eyes stayed locked on the approaching Josh. He raised both hands into fists, ready for the fight, and replied to the elf—matching her soft plea with a neutral, grounded voice.
"What are you talking about? Even if you didn't beg, I would have dragged you out of that carriage by force if necessary."
He turned his face slightly to meet her gaze from behind, both eyes closed, a carefree grin on his lips—a sharp contrast to the blood still dripping from his wrist onto the grass. Then his gaze returned to Josh.
"Ah… huh?" A gasp escaped the elf's lips. Her eyes widened. Both her palms pressed together, fingers laced—a common gesture of hers, probably born from overwhelming emotion. For once,someone out of her Father's was going to protect her. She spoke again, curiosity breaking through the fear.
"Uhm… what's your name?"
Arthur heard the question. A bitter-sweet smirk crossed his face as he raised his fists high into a battle stance.
"Who, me? Hehe… I'm Arthur. Arthur Kurogane."
He answered with a flashy, confident grin, staring down Josh.
Behind him, the elf's face—once twisted in despair and worry—slowly shifted. Her lips, pressed tight with fear, curved into a heartwarming smile. One that made her big, ocean-blue eyes catch the yellow sun's vibrant light. Tears still gathered there, but now they were tears of something else—something she couldn't quite process yet.
As She watched the back of the boy who had no reason to fight for her—and fought anyway.
---
"Heh! What an idiot." Josh let out a short laugh, staring one last time at Arthur—who kept his fists raised in a shaky fighting stance, blocking the path to the elf. Then Josh sprinted forward with intent.
"AH!" Arthur's thought screamed in shock at the sudden, blurring approach.
Josh closed the distance and thrust the sharp edge of his medium-sized dagger straight at Arthur's forehead. Arthur leaned his head back—instinct, pure instinct—and the blade whistled past his brow. But Josh followed up with another thrust, just as fast. Arthur leaned back again, dodging by a hair, stumbling backward to create space.
"Tch! Why you—" Josh's frustration boiled over. He swung his dagger horizontally to the right, aiming to chop straight through Arthur's neck.
"Eh—" Arthur's eyes went wide. He dropped into a low crouch, the blade slicing through empty air just above his head. A heartbeat slower and he'd have been dead.
Arthur was doing it. Nothing short of amazing—evading Josh's attacks despite being untrained, relying purely on instinct. But he was outmatched. Outclassed. Josh had a weapon, experience, and cruelty on his side.
And then Arthur's luck ran out.
Crouched low after dodging the swing, he found himself level with Josh's knee. Josh's knee rocketed upward—hard, fast, brutal—smashing into Arthur's face.
"AGH... AHHH!"
An agonizing cry tore from Arthur's throat. Blood exploded from his nose—broken, bent, gushing crimson. His face already swelling, he collapsed onto all fours, staring down at the grass, pale with shock.
"Hehe." Josh chuckled, staring down at him like a lord gazing upon filth. He stomped his right boot hard onto Arthur's back, grinding his face into the dirt beneath the grass. His smirk widened into something cruel and cocky.
"Ewww... tired already, hero? You're not letting the whore down, are you? Hehe." His tone dripped with sarcasm as he ground his boot into the back of Arthur's head.
Arthur gritted his teeth, his face buried in the dirt, anger burning through the pain and humiliation.
"Y… you bastard…" Arthur murmured defiantly, blood dripping from his lips into the soil.
"Pipe down, brat. You never stood a chance," Josh spat with visible annoyance. Arthur's resistance was beginning to irritate him. With a cruel stomp, he drove the heel of his boot harder into the back of Arthur's head, burying his face deeper into the dirt.
A few meters away, the young elf still knelt helplessly on the grass. Her trembling hands remained clasped together as her entire body shook from the humiliation Arthur was suffering because of her.
"PLEASE… STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she cried out, forcing her normally soft voice loud enough for him to hear.
Josh tilted his head toward her, his grin widening.
"Huh… ohhh?" he purred mockingly.
At that moment, Arthur slowly turned his head despite his face still being pressed into the earth. Tall strands of grass obstructed his view, but through them he could still see the elf.
Her golden-blonde hair—though dirty and unkempt from days of captivity—still shimmered beneath the sunlight behind her, giving her the appearance of a fallen goddess descending from the heavens.
But it wasn't her beauty that stunned Arthur.
It was familiarity.
The moment he saw her, a memory from years ago violently resurfaced in his mind.
---
A young blonde-haired girl, Slightly taller than him, was being dragged down a narrow dirt road surrounded by bamboo and forest.
A rough-looking bandit gripped her arm tightly while two others followed behind him. Despite being dragged away, the girl turned back toward Arthur with tears gathering in her eyes and a warm smile still lingering on her face.
Her long blonde hair—just like Arthur's own—danced beneath the sunlight as it swayed with every violent pull.
One of the bandits behind them glanced at young Arthur sitting helplessly on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
"Say boss… should we take the kid too?" he asked with a grin.
"Hehe… sure… why no—"
"PLEASE… STOP. LEAVE HIM ALONE."
The girl interrupted him softly, yet every word reached them clearly.
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a trembling expression of fear and sadness.
"H… he's still just a kid…"
Arthur's eyes widened.
Those words weren't just protection.
They were sacrifice.
She was offering herself in his place.
"BIG SIS… N-NO! D-DON'T DO IT!!"
Arthur screamed desperately, begging for a different outcome that never came.
The bandits accepted her plea and dragged her away while Arthur cried helplessly from the dirt.
Yet even as she disappeared into the distance, she turned back one final time and gave him a serene smile.
It was the last time he ever saw her.
---
Arthur's eyes snapped back to the present.
His gaze remained fixed on the elf as his lips weakly trembled.
"...Ashley..."
The resemblance was unbearable.
Then Josh laughed.
"Leave him? Sure I will," he sneered.
The elf slowly rose to her feet, her hands still clasped together tightly in fear.
"I… I'm sorry…" she whispered weakly, completely broken.
Barefoot upon the grass, she stared at Arthur's battered body with guilt-filled eyes.
Josh burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Oh please. If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have dragged this kid into your mess."
He finally removed his foot from Arthur's head and began walking toward the elf at a slow pace.
"Look at you… thinking you could actually be free." He chuckled darkly. "You could've saved the boy the trouble if you had just stayed in the carriage. But instead, you believed in a miracle… a hero… hahaha!"
"R… RUN!!" Arthur shouted despite his broken condition, still collapsed in the dirt.
But the elf froze completely.
Before she could even react, Josh grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her violently toward him.
"AGH—!"
Pain shot through her body as tears instantly welled in her eyes.
"N-No… please—!"
SMACK!
A brutal slap cut her off mid-sentence, leaving a bright red handprint across her cheek.
Tears and snot streamed down her face as she trembled helplessly.
"Hahaha! You really thought you could be saved?" Josh mocked. "And damn…"
He smirked while gripping her hair tighter.
"You might be an elf, and the boss would kill me if I damaged that pretty little face too much… so let's keep the punishment light, yeah?"
SMACK!
SLAP!
Again and again, the sound of palm striking flesh echoed through the forest while the elf cried and screamed beneath his abuse.
Arthur's eyes widened to their limit.
Rage exploded inside him.
Veins bulged visibly across his face as his body trembled violently. The repeated sound of her crying mixed with the memory of his sister being taken away years ago.
Back then…
He could do nothing.
And even now—
He still couldn't save anyone.
Arthur forced himself upward, struggling on trembling arms and knees. His dirty blonde hair cast a shadow over his face as he slowly lifted a hand to cover his right eye.
Then—
Something changed.
His left eye suddenly turned pitch black.
A crimson spark ignited within the darkness.
Slowly, an eerie hourglass-shaped symbol formed at the center of his pupil.
Blood began trailing down from the eye under the immense strain, but Arthur didn't even notice.
He was too consumed by fury.
"WHYYYY YOUUUU!!!"
His scream erupted like thunder itself.
The ground beneath him trembled as he dropped to one knee, his right hand still covering his Right eye,while his still bleeding left glared directly at Josh.
"...Ah!"
Josh froze completely.
His mocking grin vanished as terror spread across his face.
"W-What is this…? H-His eyes…"
His body stiffened.
"They're different now…"