Order of Nova

The night seemed longer, and it was colder than before. The bright moon above the dark sky cast a serene glow, creating a sense of solitude. Mikail felt completely isolated, and his emotions were intensified. His chest felt constricted; it felt so hot, yet so cold.

He exerted all his energy as he hurried through the dimly lit forest. Frequently tripping on vines, causing himself to lose his footing and tumble. Every breath he exhaled appeared as visible vapour.

Running for minutes made him grown exhausted despite only being inside the forest for a while. Apparently, still no sign of sounds from anyone.

Only the rustling of the bushes and cracking branches beneath his feet. He looked at his surroundings, he didn't even care if he got lost anymore.

Desperately, he pushed past through the vines that obstructed his path, ripping or cutting as he sprinted with the expectation of ultimately finding her.

The vines now seemed impenetrable, and he could no longer break through them.

Suddenly, Mikail found himself falling to the ground, his body growing stiff as each second passed.

Thud!

Lying in his side on the grass, he soon found it harder to breathe, even more harder to move his body by an inch.

Even though he didn't want to give up, his eyelids felt heavier. He blamed myself for everything that had happened. He had failed to save someone dear to him once again...

Although his eyes had reached the point where they could no longer shed tears, he was consumed with an intense internal anguish, as if crying out loud, 'I don't want to die yet...'

But the darkness...

...

'Warm.'

'...So warm,' he thought to himself as he felt something touching his left arm, but since his eyes were closed, he couldn't see what it was.

He didn't know how he was still conscious. Maybe he is already in the after life.

But...

This sensation that he is feeling is still the same as before, and this warmth in the midst of a cold night was truly comforting.

Or maybe death was this comforting all along?

Yearning to experience the warmth more, Mikail reached out to touch it, despite his uncertainty about what it could be.

As he did so, the sensation intensified, causing his entire body to tremble. He could feel that warmth enveloping his hand as he tried to reach for it.

Mikail gradually opened his eyes, but the figure standing before him appeared blurred, obstructing the moonlight.

Attempting to speak, Mikail opened up his mouth but was suddenly interrupted as the silhouette poured warm water into it, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Gasping for air, Mikail noticed that the person in front of him had a mournful expression on their face. "I apologize," the silhouette said with a remorseful tone.

Mikail murmured, "Ars...?" and groaned, "Ugh... that water had such a foul taste, what was it?" He slowly stood up on his feet, astonished that his body felt unusually restored.

Ars responded, "It was the elixir."

"The what!?" Mikail exclaimed, coughing up the liquid he had already consumed.

"Aren't elixirs supposed to be drunk?" he asked.

"Ah, yes..." replied Mikail.

"Even though it is the fact that you put an effort to finding me, I still cannot forgive you that easily." Mikail hastened his search for Notoria, recklessly walking towards again with a desperate attitude by endangering his life once more, right after being saved.

Ars didn't try to do anything, rather he only asked, "Would you change your mind if I were to tell you that I know where she is?" while walking past Mikail with an air of confidence, indicating he had some knowledge of Notoria's whereabouts.

"Why are you just standing there? Follow me," he added, taking the lead.

Mikail was confused but nodded, following Ars. Not sure what he's thinking right now, but it's good that he's changed his mind.

As they trudged further, their eyes caught a glimpse of a nearby camp that was shrouded in a veil of darkness. It was silent except for the sound of rustling leaves and crackling twigs that echoed in the air.

Mikail's heart was racing with anxiety as they got closer to the camp. Suddenly, he spotted Notoria in tears, lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of men who tore her clothes off.

Remembering the bruises on her neck and wrist, Mikail felt his blood boil at the sight. He clenched his fists in anger.

He could feel the heat rising in his chest as he struggled to contain his rage. Notoria was his friend, and seeing her in such a vulnerable state made him feel sad and furious at the same time. She never deserved to be treated like this.

Mikail exploded in anger as he rushed forward, screaming like an animal. He wanted to take matters into his own hands and protect her at all costs.

Ars tried to hold Mikail back who was rushing towards his death, as he cautioned him against acting impulsively without a plan.

However, Mikail was not in the mood to listen to anyone. He was blinded by his emotions and shouted, "Fuck a plan!" as he sprinted towards the men.

His heart was pounding with adrenaline as he drew closer to the group. He didn't care about the risks, and all he wanted was to kill them until they paid for what they'd done.

In that moment, Mikail's bravery and determination knocked some sense into Ars. It was at that time that he realized he had been such a coward all along.

As Mikail faced off against the group of men, some of them immediately took up their guard and engaged him in a fierce battle, despite his still-healing wounds.

His injuries put him at a significant disadvantage, compounded by the fact that he was outnumbered.

Meanwhile, the other men continued to take advantage of Notoria, merrily laughing as they had their way with her.

Looking at Mikail with tears, her lips moved; even though he couldn't hear, she seemed to be calling out for his name.

The sight of this drove Mikail to a frenzied rage, fueling his anger even more.

In a fit of fury, he began to attack the men with brutal force, ripping their throats out and striking them with savage ferocity.

Using various underhanded tactics, he fully utilized his surroundings. He didn't care about the risk to his own safety, nor did he think twice about the possibility of being stabbed or beaten down.

As Mikail engaged in direct combat with the men, Ars took a more covert approach by maneuvering around them.

Mikail showed animalistic behavior as he attacked the men with such ferocity.

"AAAH!" The men screamed in terror as Mikail gnawed their flesh. The other men, despite their feelings of anxiety, mustered up the courage to attempt to intervene.

As some of the men attempted to flee, Ars swiftly captured them and executed them immediately.

Mikail's wounds slowly reopened every time he exerted strength, coughing up blood as his healing wounds bled. Bones fractured, but he was still mowing their guts down.

"What the fuck is this guy's deal!?" the frightened men exclaimed.

The screams were heard inside the tent, where the man earlier is discussing a business with the knights from Novamantus.

The screaming didn't stop so he had to exit the tent and shout, "Oi! Shut your fucking mouths and quietly enjoy my pre-..."

After doing so, his speaking was interrupted as his eyes began to widen; horrified at the sight of his comrades with their ears torn, necks ripped, eyes gouged out, and limbs twisted.

Standing in front was Mikail who was drenched in blood, no longer could use both hands for it had been broken.

"Y-You...!" The man exclaimed, trembling in fear.

The man called for the knights inside, but they were already killed by Ars as he turned to look.

The man quickly puts his hands on Ars' shoulder while he blatantly begged, "Ars! There you are! Help me! Kill this guy and I will reward you!"

"..."

Ars remained silent, glaring at him while blood dripped from his clenched hands.

"Is that not what you wanted?!"

"I-I'll, I won't bother you anymore, then! I-I will apologize to the woman!" he knelt while he begged in a trembling voice.

But Ars still remained cold and impassive, staring at him without uttering a single word.

The man began to sweat profusely, shaking Ars, begging him for help. Ars kept his emotion inside, preventing his anger to surface and end up killing him.

"Apologize to him," Ars finally spoke, pointing at Mikail who was already unconscious, but still limping his way towards him.

The man laughed uneasily, thinking what a limping man like Mikail could possibly do to harm him in any way.

Confidently, he walked slowly towards Mikail and tightly grabbed him by the neck. "I, Jacques the Terrible of the Order of Nova, to be ridiculed this much is unnaceptable!" He tightened his grip, causing Mikail to cough.

With the man foolishly letting his guard down because of his ego, Mikail delivered a swift kick to his scrotum before biting and tearing off his nose.

The man screamed in agony and fell to the ground, attempting to stop the bleeding from his nose. Mikail spat the flesh of his nose at him before continuing to kick him continuously in the scrotum until both of his testicles ruptured.

"Ja, cunt. the. ter, rible...?"

The man was overwhelmed with excruciating pain, causing him to vomit blood. While Mikail continued to kick Jacques, Notoria, who was in tears, intervened and stopped him.

She held onto his body and embraced him. Mikail stopped before collapsing to the ground along with Notoria.

Ars couldn't do anything but stand and look at them. He tried to not let his emotions control over him, but he couldn't stop tears from falling off his eyes. He tried to wipe it off but his tears kept streaming down.

Ars puts his cloak over Notoria's back as she weeps alongside Mikail who was unconscious, both of them lying on the ground.

Notoria cried out loud, apologizing to Mikail as the night continued to wear on.

...

The man slammed his clenched hands on the table in a fit of anger and frustration after finding out what had happened.

He was waiting for the knights who had come to talk with Jacques, but they had not returned since yesterday evening.

Just right now, he had received a report regarding Jacques and the knights whereabouts.

The news that the man had heard left him extremely agitated.

His face turned red with anger, and his veins bulged out as if they were about to burst.

He couldn't believe it when he heard that Jacques had passed away. With him gone, his power and authority will be heavily affected.

Considering that he is a negligent village lord and relied heavily on Jacques to manage the village affairs, his death was a significant loss for both himself and the Order of Nova*.

*

The Order of Nova. The most dominant and powerful military order in Euretsia. Hailing from the kingdom of Novamantus, the Order of Nova is held under the jurisdiction of three different military families, namely the Dreadmoore, Winthrope, and Lancaster. Their main objective is to safeguard the kingdom and uphold their religious convictions.

Due to the growing numbers of the Order of Nova, the order was divided into three main branches.

The Dreadmoore Knights of the northern lands.

The Winthrope Knights of the southern lands.

And the Lancaster Knights of the eastern lands.

The current and sixth Grand Master of the Order of Nova is Aethelind de Montmorency, who holds the prestigious title of the Grand Cross of the Order of Nova.

*

One of the knights who was kneeling before him suggested that the perpetrator was probably from the village, but he found it hard to believe that anyone would dare to challenge the authority of the Order of Nova and kill Jacques.

In response, the man commanded that the culprit be identified and brought to justice with severe punishment under the name of "Winthrope".

The knight complied and said, "As you wish, Lord Vernon," before leaving with haste.