Selfishness

"Mama... Papa..." hushed the female child while her tears were falling from her eyes. The crowd screamed loudly after every explosion.

A man suddenly grabbed the child's right hand while catching his breath. The man seems injured with blood dripping all over his face, "We are getting out of here."

"Wh-where's mama?"

"Sh-she's dead." Then tears came flowing from the man's eyes. He embraced her, "I won't let them take you away from me, Lunox!"

A light came flashing before the girl's eyes and in a passing second, darkness devoured the glow and everything went black.

"Ugh!" grunted Lunox while her arms are crossed and fixated on a wooden table. Her eyes stared blankly at the ink-ridden quill right next to an unlatched scroll in front of her. Her thoughts wandered and were trying to recollect the things that happened in the nightmare.

"That dream again." She bowed her head and clenched her fists and with a sigh, she lifted her head up and smiled. She can't help but remember Leomord and their beautiful first encounter. Her cheeks started turning red and she chuckled.

"When can I see him again?"

In all of a sudden, a loud bang echoed from the outside followed by a series of screams coming from the tribesmen.

"We're under attack! Take all the children and get out of here!" screamed the soldier holding a broken spear while catching his breath. His armor was fully scathed and he seems to be a survivor from the front line who came back to the village to give a warning.

After heeding the warning, Lunox rushed out of the place that she was staying and spotted in the distance, a huge army of abyssal creatures marching towards their village. The clanking of their swords and armors reiterated and can be heard even a mile away. They were great in numbers; enough to build a whole nation of abyssal demons. But it did not intimidate Lunox.

"I need to buy time for the villagers to escape!" she said in mind.

"Yo!" Lunox turned around and sees a woman walking towards her. She's holding down two long chokuto-like swords with cables curling around her arms. Her teal-colored hair waved and danced as the wind brushed through it and her bangs flew revealing her face covered in blood, her piercing eyes, and her sinister smile.

Lunox's eyes grew wide open as she remembers a familiar scent coming out from the woman.

"Fanny?!" The woman drops her two swords then reaches her hands towards Lunox's elven ears.

"Lunox-ane, long time no see-dana!" chuckled Fanny-- twitching Lunox's elven ears in which caught her in surprise.

"Eh... could you please stop that..." sighed Lunox in embarrassment.

"Say, care for a little frenzy here? I wouldn't mind if you do" Fanny grinned, looking like a child wanting to have permission from her parents to play.

"Eckert just got you out of jail and you want to start another reckless move again?" Lunox replied sarcastically, she laughed afterward.

"I'll take that personally, hmph!" pouted Fanny while crossing her arms.

"Woah! That's a lot of prey!" a voice of a little boy echoes at their back. In all of a sudden, a small boy dressed in a swashbuckler vest appeared in front of them. His shaggy-golden hair and cat ears waved along with the brushing winds. His eyes gleamed bright like a gem infused with powerful magic.

"D-damn this Leonin, he won't let me catch my-" appeared a young man in a long dark coat, catching his breath, and is carrying a small violin case with black and red trimmings. He dropped to the ground because of exhaustion.

"Harith! Granger! Both of you are late..." The mood changed as Fanny's joyful gesture turned into a menacing grimace.

"About that err- we're very sorry, orcs are everywhere, priorities on the enchanted forest, y-know politics? hehe" chuckled Harith in fear. He immediately receives a knuckle in the head.

"Politics my ass! You're still meeting up with that girlfriend of yours aren't you?!" screamed the angry Fanny.

"I agree with you Fanny, that it is tru-" before Granger could say something, he receives a knuckle also in the head.

"... and yet you still followed him! How good was that supposed to be?!"

"S-sorry..." cried Granger.

"Anyway, let me introduce to you my Ane-san (sister) Lunox. She governs this place and she's also a great asset in the Moniyan Empire so you must pay respect to her."

"Is that even necessary?" smiled Lunox shamefully.

"... and what does 'Ane-san' even-" before Lunox could continue, a loud explosion was heard. The abyssal legion rammed towards the huge trees uprooting them and threw them towards the village.

"Ane... we'll handle them. Seek refuge along with your townsmen in the Swan Lake castle. Someone's been looking for you there." Fanny said and picks up her swords without having even the smallest tint of fear on her face.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" replied Lunox anxiously.

Fanny chuckles, "We ain't having any plans to die here so don't you worry and leave this fight to us." Fanny smiled and winked at Lunox.

"Thank you!" Lunox smiled back.

Lunox ran deep inside the forest opposite from where the abyssal legion was heading. In all of a sudden, she felt a strange but familiar presence. She continued to walk slowly as she's succumbed to that familiar presence that is drawing her towards it. One by one, she broke those twigs blocking her, paving a way for her to reach it. At last, she arrived at a small river connecting to the Swan Lake, and at the opposite side of the river, there sat Leomord along with his horse, Barbiel. The two looked at each other in surprise and fell embarrassed.

Leomord stands up and drops his blade. He slowly and groggily crosses the river while still keeping his eyes on Lunox.

"This world is a mess..." his cold eyes blankly staring at her.

"...corrupted... how can someone like you had to be in here and face such a curse?" his fists clenched.

"My duty... is to protect what I love... but all of them I have thrown away just to protect you..."

"My only light... my only hope... I will never lay you down to anyone even if it means rebellion to my own kind" Leomord's tears start to fall from his eyes.

Lunox's face drops down and her tears start to fall from her eyes, "You don't have to do this... how am I going to be happy if the man I have fallen into is hurting inside?"

Leomord stops at the center of the rushing water.

"How can you be so selfish to the point of taking out everyone in your life just to get what you want? I don't like this... I don't like this at all." Lunox wiping the tears from her eyes.

"This... is the truth I only believe in and it does not hurt me at all as long as you are not in misery." Leomord continued walking as the winds blew hard.

"Please don't come near me!" screamed Lunox and Leomord halted.

"I'd rather be in suffering and pain than to be the cause of your misery..." cried Lunox and ran away as fast as she could as her tears volatilize on the air.

Leomord couldn't do anything. He was left standing in deep reflection.

A few moments later, Selena arrives and she sees Leomord dropped in the river filled with despair. He heard him whisper something so she did not hesitate to approach him.

"L-Leomord..." as she slowly gets closer, she can feel the surging power of light and darkness inside Leomord. This made Selena feel panicking on the inside but nevertheless, she ran towards him and hugged him.

"I'll be always here for you no matter what... so please... forget her and choose me! I will never ever leave-" Leomord suddenly pushed Selena away.

"Shut up!" he screamed.

"P-please Leomord... I will-"

"I said SHUT UP! SHE'S THE ONLY THING I NEED IN MY LIFE... She's the only one..." Leomord burst out in tears.

Selena's tears flowed out of her eyes and her head drops down.

"I'm sorry Leomord, but I don't think I could stand this pain for too long..." Selena chuckled while crying.

"That woman... I will KILL that woman if that's the only way for you to forget her!" she screamed in despair and leaped away before Leomord could say a word.

Leomord was left in shock but he had no choice but to follow Selena. He summons Barbiel and rode swiftly among the woods.