Royal Guard

Hugo's Vision:

In the afternoon, I sent two young boys after an animal that was tormenting the town. One of them is a young man I've been training for some time. The other appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood, but I saw a mark on his arm, a mark left by a god. I couldn't tell which god it was, but I didn't sense any malice from him. He must have his reasons for being covered in blood. When I was young, I liked to go on adventures, perhaps the boy suffered an attack. If that's the case, he is a person with great resilience. I saw his wounds, but he could move completely.

"Where are they? They shouldn't take this long."

Worried about the two young men, I head to the forest. I leave my house, which is near the town entrance. To traverse the night, I take a torch.

"I said I would wait for them in the grove, but Éder knows where my house is. It shouldn't be a problem."

I know this place perfectly, better than anyone. The only problem would be conceptual magic, but I believe they must have found a way to resolve it.

I arrive at the forest entrance, knowing where the snake hides. Even at night, the darkness isn't a problem; my vision is good, and I have the torch to improve illumination.

As I head to the snake's "home," I find a spot with a lot of blood on the ground, and near the blood, there was a plucked flower.

"They passed through here."

I despair at the situation I find myself in. They are probably in danger. I need to reach the place quickly. As I get closer to the area, I unintentionally find a green book with golden details. I quickly remember Lucas, he was carrying this when he came here.

"They're inside!"

I take the torch in my left hand and enter the cave.

"GHHHHYYYYYY!"

I can hear the snake's cry; it was severely injured. They are still fighting it. When I arrive at the scene, I see Lucas covered in blood on the ground, and next to him, the snake is lying on the floor. When I look to the side, I see Éder without his right arm.

"Damn it, I let this happen."

As I approach Lucas, I see that he is still awake.

"Don't you think it's too early to die, Mr. Lucas?"

I smile, trying to hide the bitterness intensifying in my heart. I almost killed them; the snake wasn't that strong. I don't remember it being like this. When I was one of the king's royal guards, my job was to train the newcomers and do reconnaissance. I remember perfectly the day I arrived in this town, but I don't remember such a snake. I try to say something to Lucas, but he loses consciousness, unable to endure any longer.

"You did very well, boys."

When I look to the side, I try to analyze the snake. Its scales are black and purple, and it's quite large. Someone intensified its power; it wasn't this strong. Regardless, I need to ensure these two's safety. I leave the torch on the ground, extinguishing the flame. Even in this darkness, my vision is still good. My time as a royal guard gave me many skills. I pick up Lucas and place him on my right shoulder. I go to Éder and place him on my left shoulder.

"Hang in there, boys. Be stronger than ever."

I leave the cave, and as soon as I exit, I remember Lucas's book. I go behind the tree, pick it up, and secure it at my waist.

***

It's almost three in the morning. I was lucky not to need to queue to enter the hospital. Everyone here knows and respects me. Upon seeing two severely injured boys, some were disgusted by the blood. Others were happy.

"This is our defender! Well done, Hugo. Did you save the two boys? You're an example!"

I don't let these compliments affect me. I'm the kind of person who doesn't care about compliments or insults. If I cared, I'd become arrogant. The hospital was full of people. As I walked with them, I could see people sitting and crying. I hate hospitals; just stepping in here, I feel a sense of sadness, perhaps because of my childhood. I go to the treatment area and ask the doctors to take care of the boys.

"Take care of them!"

The doctor is immediately surprised by their condition. Éder without an arm, and Lucas covered in blood, with open wounds and broken ribs. But he didn't falter; I can tell he smiles at the situation.

"Alright, Hugo. We'll do our best."

I see the doctor call two people to take them to their respective rooms and receive treatment.

Meanwhile, I need to investigate what just happened. Someone intensified the power of the Eastern Snake.

I quickly leave the hospital and head to my house. It's not very big and quite messy. I don't like tidying up; I'm very lazy about that. Upon entering, the living room is filthy. With food on the table, clothes on the couch. Not only the living room, but the rest of the house is also like this.

"I need to remember to clean all this."

I say this, but I always forget in the end. I go to my room and place Lucas's book beside my bookshelf. But before that, a curiosity arises in my mind.

"What does this book contain? It's very beautiful."

Saying this, I start reading the book. It's incredible; this boy's book explains affinity and the properties of magic. It's rare to find such a book. I also see a page marked with a drop of blood. That page talks about time affinity.

"Could this boy have time affinity? That's amazing."

Time affinity was my old master's; he fought the specters during the theft of the Primordial Life.

As I was about to put the book away, the map I had given him earlier falls out. I place the book on the table beside my bed and store the map in a drawer below.

"It's been a while since things like this happened. He is marked and has a time affinity."

As I said this, I heard someone knocking on the door. I go to the door and open it.

"Hello. Who is—"

Upon opening the door, I see Lawrence, my old companion. He wears green armor but shows his face. He has green eyes and white hair. His skin is white as snow.

"Hello, Hugo. Long time no see?"

Anger rises in my mind when I see him.

"What do you want here? Betraying our king and master wasn't enough? Go away."

I see him laugh as I say this.

"Calm down, my old friend. I'm just here to give you a warning. I know very well what you've been trying to do. Are you going against us, Specters? The boys' deaths were just a warning. Don't get in our way again."

At that moment, a lightning bolt strikes him, and he disappears completely.

"Damn it. How... There's no way they could know."

After the war, I've been training Éder to retrieve the Primordial Life. Unfortunately, it's just the two of us. It was more than obvious they would find out. But I won't give up. After this unexpected encounter, I return to the hospital, waiting for the boys to wake up.