Chapter 4: Showdown in the streets

The three squires stood eye to eye in complete silence. The onlookers slowly backed away, realizing that things were about to get ugly.

Arthur, still reeling from the beating he had taken, groggily tried to push himself up. Even through his blurry vision, he could finally recognize the other two squires.

The tall one was Jason, and the smaller one was Mylo. They were the other two squire captains of the town—they were brothers, and good friends of the old couple. Whenever Rodrick and his lackeys stirred up trouble around town, Jason and Mylo would step in—at least, when they weren't occupied with their duties.

Just then, a hurried old couple rushed to Arthur's side. Granny Anna and Grandpa Albert sighed in relief upon seeing that Arthur wasn't in worse shape. Supporting the still-dizzy boy, they helped him move away from the brewing conflict.

As the tension in the air thickened, even Rodrick's lackeys started putting some distance between themselves and the squire captains. Suddenly, the standoff was finally broken.

"I must say, your arrival was quite unexpected. Mind sharing the secret to skipping work?" Rodrick said smugly.

"Patience, knowing how to compliment others… and a chunk of your yearly salary," Mylo replied as he unsheathed his sword.

"Come on, Mylo, why so serious? This is one of the few times we get to talk, and you're already pulling out your sword?" Rodrick smirked.

"Shut up, Rodrick!" Jason snapped, anger burning in his eyes. "We know exactly what you're trying to do today!"

Rodrick chuckled. "Yeah, like it's some big mystery. Today's the day I collect my dues—shops, families, and of course, the pharmacy run by those withered old relics."

"And yet today is different, isn't it?" Mylo added.

Rodrick's smug grin faltered. His entire demeanor shifted, his body posture straightening as he placed his right hand over the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Come on, guys, why ruin the fun?" His tone had lost all playfulness.

"I've tolerated your fun since we joined the squires," Jason growled. "But threatening the lives of the town's residents? That's a line even you shouldn't cross."

Without hesitation, Jason unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Rodrick. Rodrick let out a small, eerie grin before bursting into laughter.

"How heroic of you two. Truly, you are the embodiment of hypocrisy. How many lives have I ended by now, yet neither of you cared before? So what makes that decrepit couple so different?

His voice lowered, taunting.

"Is it because they saw your parents before they disappeared? Because they healed your wounds after the fire that burned down the orphanage? Or—" Rodrick paused, tightening his grip on his sword. "Is it because they remind you of poor, dear Sarah?"

The moment that name left his lips, both Jason and Mylo lunged forward.

Their blades clashed with Rodrick's in a violent burst of force. The sheer impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air—branches and leaves trembled while the ground beneath them cracked.

The townspeople could only watch in awe as the three squires fought. All except for Arthur. The clash of power made him even dizzier. His legs buckled, sending him to his knees. Suddenly, fragmented flashes of visions flooded his mind—scenes eerily similar to the ones he had seen before, yet still too unclear to grasp their meaning.

The fight raged on for a few moments before Jason and Mylo took a step back, regaining their footing. Rodrick, unfazed, rested his sword on his shoulder.

"If that's all you've got, you might as well let me burn this place to the ground. At the very least, I'll be generous enough to let the decrepit couple and their new pet stand outside when I make it go kaboom."

He reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out a red sphere, roughly the size of his palm.

Jason's expression darkened. 

"If you don't stop now, we'll use everything at our disposal to stop you."

Both brothers shifted into a fighting stance, ready to charge again. Rodrick grinned. 

"Then by all means, try—just like every other time! But be prepared to fail again!" he said as he pointed his sword at them.

Just then, the loud toll of the town's bell echoed through the streets.

Rodrick's eyes twitched with annoyance. Without hesitation, he sheathed his sword and slipped the red orb back into his pocket.

"You two are lucky," said Rodrick as he turned back toward the crowd, gesturing at his lackeys. "Let's go."

But just as he was about to leave, his body froze. A dreadful chill crawled up his spine. His gaze swept over the crowd now finally noticing a very dreadful aura surrounding themlike an invisible fog. 

Everybody seemed oblivious as if it didn't exist at all to begin with. Even Jason and Mylo seemed unaware of it. It was then when Rodrick looked back at the useless boy he gave a beating not so long ago. 

For a split second, Rodrick felt as if he were drowning in an ocean of blood. Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of bloodied corpses surrounded him, their lifeless eyes staring into his soul. His breath hitched.

The captain squire instinctively closed his eyes, as if his body was trying to ignore the sense of death looming over him. Even so, Rodrick refused to believe that what he had just witnessed was real. He opened his eyes again and looked around for a moment. No trace of the scene he had seen remained, and the sense of dread that had gripped the crowd had also vanished.

Rodrick had many questions in his mind, but then he remembered the sound of the bell echoing throughout the town. With that in mind, he turned to leave, his lackeys following closely behind. Whatever it was, Rodrick figured he could check on it another time.

Jason and Mylo stood their ground until the group had fully departed. Once they were gone, the brothers let out a sigh of relief before sheathing their swords. However, upon doing so, they noticed that their weapons were severely damaged—almost on the verge of breaking apart.

Still, they carefully secured their swords before heading toward Arthur and the old couple.

"We are sorry for arriving late," said Mylo to the elderly pair.

"No worries," replied Grandpa Albert. "You couldn't have arrived at a better time."

"Seeing as you boys are here, would you mind joining us inside the pharmacy for a nice, sweet cup of tea?" Granny Anna asked enthusiastically. "For old times' sake. And in the meantime, you could help us tend to poor Arthur here."

Jason and Mylo pondered for a moment. They truly wanted to accept Granny Anna's invitation. However, the bell tolling across town reminded them of what was to come next. With some reluctance, they looked at Granny Anna and politely declined before setting off in the direction Rodrick and his men had gone.

Grandpa Albert tried to comfort Granny Anna. Arthur, on the other hand, had finally snapped back to his senses. He stood up properly and looked at the old couple, who were still watching the brothers leave. Arthur had interacted with Jason and Mylo many times before, yet he had never thought to ask about their connection with the elderly pair. Perhaps it was best if it remained that way.

As the tension from the encounter faded, everyone began picking up the wooden bowls and spoons that had been scattered during the clash between the three squire captains. Meanwhile, Arthur carried the giant pot back into the pharmacy. The boy reflected on how chaotic his day had been—more so than usual. But above all, his thoughts revolved around his visions.

At first, they were nothing more than annoying nightmares. But the visions that had begun a week ago brought him a new level of torment. And now, a series of indescribable flashes had pushed him to his breaking point. One way or another, he had to find a way to stop them if he ever wanted to have a peaceful day again.

Night fell over the town. People began retiring to wherever they were staying. Some of the less fortunate found refuge with friends or family, while the unlucky ones had no choice but to seek a comfortable spot to sleep, their only protection from the cold being the mantles given to them by the old couple.

Arthur returned to his room, taking off his cloak and dropping it to the floor before lying on his bed wanting to catch some sleep. As he stared at the ceiling, his mind once again drifted to the visions plaguing him. It didn't take long before those thoughts transformed into resolve.

Without hesitation, he hopped off his bed, swiftly grabbed his cloak, and rushed toward the pharmacy's exit.

"And where do you think you're going?" asked Grandpa Albert.

"Sorry, Grandpa Albert. I promise I'll be back before midnight," Arthur replied hurriedly as he dashed out of the pharmacy and toward his destination.

Grandpa Albert barely had time to react. He stepped outside but could only watch as Arthur disappeared into the distance, wondering what the boy was thinking.

Arthur ran as fast as he could, his mind racing with memories. Though his nightmares had plagued him ever since he started living in the pharmacy, the visions that tormented him had only started a week ago—after he had attempted something.

It wasn't long before Arthur reached the town's entrance. A week ago, he had tried to leave town to explore the surrounding forest out of curiosity. But the moment he stepped outside, he blacked out. Ever since then, the visions had haunted him daily.

Whatever the cause, Arthur was certain that the entrance was the key to his predicament. Reluctantly, he stepped forward, prepared to retrace his steps from that day in search of answers.

Arthur steeled himself and took a step beyond the town's borders, determined to uncover the truth behind his suffering.