Shadows and Flames

I woke up hitting my head on the upper part of the small bed. Even so, sleeping in a bed was much better than on the floor. I placed my hands over my mouth and blew, trying to warm them up, as the cold was considerable.

I stretched and went to the hall. It was still early, and it was closed. Clarice, Anne, and another girl were cleaning the tables while Clarice's father washed some dishes at the counter.

"Look who finally woke up, the sleepyhead. You better get ready," said Clarice with a slight smile.

"Get ready? For what?"

"Did you sleep well?" asked Clarice's father.

"Yes." I approached and sat on one of the stools at the counter.

"I think I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Henry. And you?"

"Saito."

"It's cold here. Have some tea to warm up." He placed a cup of tea in front of me.

"What will I have to do today?"

"Not much: just carrying some boxes and cleaning some vegetables."

It didn't seem like a lot, considering what I would receive in return. I took a sip of the tea, which immediately warmed me up completely. I decided that I would finish what I needed to do today and leave at dawn tomorrow, no more detours or interruptions.

"Why didn't you accept payment for the food yesterday?"

"I was just thanking you."

"Thanking me? For what?"

"I saw you talking to my daughter yesterday. It had been a long time since I last saw her truly smile."

"Huh?"

"Clarice was a very cheerful girl when she was little, but everything changed when she discovered this power she has."

"How did she get this power?"

"I'm not exactly sure. One day, while playing with the other children, one of them got hurt. When Clarice placed her hand over the wound, it healed."

That power was truly a mystery. In the stories I had heard, I had never come across anything like it, a human with healing abilities?

"From that day on, many people started asking her to heal their wounds. Some even planned to charge money for her to heal people from other villages. One day, she healed so many people that her nose and eyes started to bleed. That's when I told everyone she wouldn't do it anymore."

"That's how humans are: they see an opportunity and try to take advantage. Why does she still do it?"

"After much insistence from the priest, we agreed that she would only heal one person per week in the church or in life-threatening situations."

"And that's how she became known as a saint, right?"

"Yes. At first, she was even happy to help, but when they started calling her a saint and worshiping her every day, she lost the joy she once had. Sometimes, I wish she had never received this power."

It must be exhausting to deal with people fawning over you every day and forcing smiles just to keep up appearances.

"I'm done here. Let's start carrying the boxes."

We went outside, where people were organizing for the festival around Henry's tavern, setting up small stalls. After walking a bit, my eyes widened when I saw the boxes we needed to carry into the tavern.

"All of this?"

"A lot of people make donations throughout the year for this festival. Let's start quickly, or we won't make it in time."

We started carrying boxes to an alley behind the tavern. As time passed, I realized that the payment for this work might not be worth it.

By the time we finished, it was already noon, and my back was exhausted from all the effort. We entered the tavern, I drank some water, and sat down to rest for a few minutes.

"Here, take this." He handed me a knife.

"For what?"

"How else are you going to clean the vegetables? I left a basin of water to help. I'll bring you some food later."

As I stepped out of the tavern, I realized what awaited me. Seeing all those boxes of vegetables we had carried, I dropped the knife from my hand in disbelief. I was the one who would have to clean and cut all that.

Are you kidding me? Are we feeding the whole village? At that moment, I deeply regretted deciding to stay.

Hours passed, and my fingers on my right hand were completely wrinkled from being in the water for so long.

I should be near the forest right now, but here I am, cutting potato roots. This is so wrong.

By the time I finally finished, night had already fallen. I grabbed a glass of water, sat on the boxes, and let exhaustion take over for a few moments.

Suddenly, Clarice stepped out the door, closing it behind her, and let out a long sigh as she lowered her head.

"Escaping your own festival?"

"I just want a minute to breathe. My dad went home to get the cake… Wait, did you clean everything?"

"Yes. Your dad told me to. Was that wrong?"

"I think three boxes would have been enough. The rest was for the other days. What kind of lunatic would spend the whole day doing this?"

"What?"

That damn Henry didn't say anything. He simply took three already cleaned boxes and carried them inside. He even had the audacity to smile and say I was fast. He better pay well for this job.

"Hahaha." She walked past me with a smile and sat on one of the boxes. "You know, it's nice to talk to someone normal sometimes."

"Is everyone here like that?"

"Only my dad, Anne, and my sister don't bother me with this saint thing."

"And your mother?"

"She's the worst. Luckily, she stays at home with my sister, taking care of the crops. She insists that I should spend all my time in the church, saying it's a sin for a saint to stay in a tavern."

A few moments later, one of the girls who worked in the tavern came running, her face marked with panic. Clarice didn't hesitate and quickly approached to understand what was happening.

"What is it, Bertha? Why are you like this?"

"It's Anne… Four men appeared and took her."

"What? Where?"

"We went out to get some water from the well… they came out of nowhere and took her. I threw the bucket of water at one of them and managed to escape."

"Bertha, run and tell my father."

"Alright!"

She rushed inside the tavern while Clarice started heading in the direction the girl had come from.

"Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going after Anne."

"Alone? Aren't you going to wait for your father and the others?"

"I have to find her quickly, they might hurt her."

"And what will you do if you find them?"

"I don't know… but I can't leave her alone!"

I didn't want to get involved in other people's problems, so I just watched as she walked away alone. Her fists were clenched, but I could see she was trembling slightly. Even with the fear of what she might find, she kept going. I sighed, scratched my head, and got up, following after her.

"Alright, I'll help look for her too."

"Thank you."

"Where is this well?"

"Over there, let's go."

We ran to the well, but when we arrived, there was no one there. I looked around, trying to spot any movement, but everything was empty, everyone was at the festival. I searched the ground for footprints, but it was useless, as there were marks everywhere.

"ANNE!"

"Hey, you idiot, don't yell. If they hear, they'll just run away with her."

"Sorry."

"Tell me, is there any abandoned place around here?"

"Abandoned?"

"Yes. Any place at all."

"Abandoned… oh, Anne's old house, no one lives there anymore."

"Where is it?"

"It's over there, a few minutes past the village exit." She pointed.

"Alright, stay here and wait for your father."

"No, I'm coming too!"

"You'll just get in the way."

"And if she's badly hurt?"

"Fine, but do everything I say."

"Alright!"

We hurried toward Anne's old house. As we moved away from the village, the darkness enveloped us more and more, with only the faint moonlight guiding our path. Further ahead, I spotted the house, and with a more attentive look, I noticed movement inside. There was no doubt, it was them.

We approached silently, and peeking through the gaps in the wooden planks, I saw the four men inside the house. Anne was on the floor, tied up, while one of them, who wore an eyepatch, was on top of her. His face bore a bruise, probably from a strong punch, and he had a deep wound on his abdomen, judging by the amount of blood on the floor.

If I acted carefully, I could handle them easily, but Anne was extremely pale. There was no time to hesitate, so I decided to act immediately.

"Clarice, let's go in. Stay behind me," I whispered.

She nodded in confirmation. With my left arm, I punched the wooden wall with force. The debris flew all over the house, and one of the pieces hit the lantern, which fell to the floor and started a fire. The four of them recoiled slightly, startled, giving us a chance to get closer to Anne.

"Who are you?" asked the man with the eyepatch.

"You scumbags, four against one girl?"

"Huh? Because of this little bitch who ratted us out, I almost died in that damn prison. They even blinded me."

Clarice knelt beside Anne, but upon seeing the amount of blood, she was paralyzed for a moment, overwhelmed by the shock.

"Clarice, hurry!" She snapped out of it and began healing Anne.

The four men watched in astonishment as Anne's wound completely healed before their eyes.

"Tristan, this is the saint that guy mentioned."

"Yes, who would have thought it was true? We'll make a fortune if we sell her. Kill that guy."

So, Tristan, the one with the eyepatch, was the leader.

Two of them started approaching, both wielding swords. I couldn't move away from the girls, and the entrance I had opened was now consumed by flames. Making another way out, especially with Anne unconscious, was out of the question. My only option was to fight them and finish this quickly. Damn it, look where I ended up.

The first one charged with a vertical slash, but it was evident he had no real swordsmanship. I dodged with a sidestep, moving effortlessly, and using my left arm, I delivered a firm punch to his stomach, making him drop to his knees.

The second one, without hesitation, attempted a thrust. I ducked to avoid it and then swept his legs out from under him, making him fall hard to the ground. I took advantage of the moment, grabbed him by the collar, and prepared to land a powerful punch with my left arm on his face.

"Please, don't," he pleaded as I held him.

Looking directly into his eyes, I hesitated for a moment. That brief distraction was enough for the third man to rush in and strike. I managed to dodge in time, rolling to the side near the girls, but soon felt a searing pain in my ribs. Touching my side, my hand came away soaked in blood, I had been hit. There was no time for Clarice to heal me. Even with adrenaline coursing through me, the pain was intensifying.

I forced myself to stand, closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.

✧༺⚔༻✧

One year earlier, Haldan and I were camping on the outskirts of Lunaris. The sky was beginning to darken, and as I arranged the firewood, he approached with calm steps and sat beside me.

"It's almost time for you to leave; time flies."

"Yeah."

"I'm really surprised at how much you've improved over these years."

"That's all thanks to you."

Haldan remained silent for a few seconds, watching the crackling fire.

"Saito, you know that when you leave, there will come a time when you'll have to fight for your life."

"I know that. I'm prepared."

"It's not just that, you'll have to take lives."

"You can be sure, if I find those Corrupted, I won't let them live!"

"That's not exactly what I mean."

"Then what is it?"

"You're likely to travel all over this world and come across bad people. When that moment comes, you'll have to make a choice, whether to survive or to protect someone."

"If necessary, I'll kill."

"I hope you make the right decision."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because over these years we've spent together, I've realized something..."

"What?"

"Saito, you're a good person."

✧༺⚔༻✧

Back in the present, I lifted my gaze, locking eyes with the four men in front of me. The pain from the cut burned intensely, but I refused to let it weaken me. I loosened my shoulders and felt my body relax. The world around me faded; my focus was entirely on them. I knew exactly what needed to be done.

"You idiots, how are you losing to a kid?"

The first man I had hit recovered and charged again, repeating the vertical slash. I remained still until the instant the sword nearly reached me, then, I raised my left hand and caught the blade firmly. The shock on their faces was evident, their disbelief clear. With a swift movement of my fingers, I wrapped my wire around the wrist holding the sword, slicing it off with brutal precision.

"AAAAAHHH!" He fell to his knees, screaming in agony.

I walked calmly past him, gradually wrapping him with multiple strands of my wire. The others in front of me remained frozen, still in shock. After a few steps, I flicked my hand precisely, and the wires tightened, shredding him in an instant.

So, this is what it feels like to take a life... It's hard to explain, but I'm not sad. After all, trash needs to be disposed of.

"Don't just stand there, attack!" Tristan shouted, pointing his sword at me, his eyes wide with fear.

The other two rushed toward me. One of them attempted a quick slash aimed at my neck. I positioned my left arm beside my face, blocking the attack. The impact was so strong that it produced a metallic clang. Unable to hold onto his sword, he dropped it, and the weapon was sent flying to the side.

Without wasting time, the other one appeared behind him, thrusting his sword toward my right leg. His skill was visibly superior to the others. I moved my leg quickly out of reach, but soon realized it was a feint. He redirected his blade into a horizontal slash, aiming at my right side.

With speed, I flicked my fingers, sending my wires toward my right foot. Stretching them swiftly, I blocked the attack as sparks traveled along the strands. In that brief instant, I wrapped one of the wires around his sword and slid it around the neck of his partner beside him. As he pulled back the blade for another strike, the wire tightened with precise lethality, resulting in his companion's decapitation. He froze in shock as the head rolled to the ground beside him.

Without hesitation, I delivered a powerful kick with my left leg, shattering his in an instant. He collapsed to the floor, trying in vain to support himself. Before he could react, I struck him hard at the base of the skull, slamming his head into the ground.

Tristan rushed at me while I was crouched, slashing down with his sword. Without hesitation, I raised my left arm, blocking the attack. The impact sent his blade ricocheting upward, forcing him to take a few steps back.

"You bastard, what are you?" He gripped his sword with both hands, trembling.

I rose calmly, positioned myself in front of him, and spun my body with speed, using the rotation to propel my left leg in a powerful arc. He tried to place his sword in front of him, hoping to cut my leg, but it was useless. The impact struck his head with brutal force, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the wall.

Even after that kick, I noticed he was still alive. I slowly walked toward him, crouched down, grabbed him firmly by the collar, and prepared to land a final, crushing blow with my left arm.

"Don't do it, Saito! Don't kill anymore!"

Looking at Clarice, I saw her still sitting with Anne in her arms. For a moment, I had completely forgotten they were there.

"If you do this… you'll be no different from them."

It seemed like she was looking at me with terrified eyes, tears rolling down her face. I shifted my gaze to Anne, covered in blood. At that moment, a memory of Yuri flashed through my mind.

This guy, even given another chance, did the exact same thing. That's just how humans are!

I slammed my fist brutally into Tristan's face, driving it into the wall along with my arm as blood splattered over me.

The fire was consuming everything. As I stood up, dizziness hit me, and my vision darkened. I had lost too much blood from the wound at the start of the fight. I turned toward the girls, barely able to remain on my feet.

"Saito, Anne…" I collapsed, unable to hear anything else.

With what little was left of my vision, I saw Clarice, looking desperate. I tried to move my body, but it didn't respond. Darkness took over, and then, I blacked out.