The Last Step-Chapter 67: Grotesque War Part 2: Hidden Pasts

4/12/2017 – 9:13 AM

Three Hours Before the War...

Location: Central Hall Grounds, Outer Perimeter

Aaron's Perspective: -

The sun was annoyingly bright today—too cheerful for a day built for slaughter. Clouds hung like lazy spectators in the sky, doing nothing but drifting, like most of the people standing below me.

I stood above them—literally and figuratively—on the raised stone platform just outside the main guild hall. Behind me stood the great structure, carved from dark marble and reinforced steel, a monument to power. In the distance to our right, the forest loomed—silent, dense, and uncaring.

A perfect place for weaklings to run and die. I almost laughed.

They stood there, the so-called members of Valhalla. Armor polished, weapons sharpened, expressions stiff with anticipation—or was it fear? Not like it mattered. Most of them wouldn't live long enough to regret whatever choices brought them here.

I lifted my hand slowly and pointed at all of them.

"I'll be quick," I said coldly, my voice slicing through the morning air. "You're all disposable."

Some of them flinched. Good.

"Nothing rare about you. Nothing special. Your death? That's on you. Don't blame me, don't blame luck. You were born pathetic."

I could see the cracks forming. Nervous eyes. Grit teeth. That uncomfortable silence where people start doubting if this was all a mistake.

"If you're the type to hide... to cry, beg, or run—then congratulations. You were always meant to lose. Your blood won't stain Valhalla. It'll just vanish like the nobodies you are."

I glanced toward the central hall. It stood firm behind me—unlike the people I was addressing.

"Scar... if he were here, he would've ripped each of you into shape. He wouldn't have wasted words. Just action. But Scar sent me instead."

"As his proxy, I'm the one leading this."

"I'm not Scar," I said, turning back to the crowd. "I won't ask for miracles. I won't beg you to be strong. I'll give orders, and you'll follow them."

I took a breath—more for emphasis than for calm.

"We defend the western pass near the rear. We slaughter every grotesque. No excuses. If I order you to die, then you will die. My command is law. My will is absolute. That's what Scar entrusted me with. And you better remember that."

Their silence was thick. Some looked down. Some stiffened. Fear, anger, maybe shame.

Good. Let them feel some emotions before they're dead later in the war.

"Don't expect me to save you. I'm not your hero. The only person who can question my decisions is Scar himself, and he's not here. So don't look to me for help. Only you can help yourself. That's where the fight starts."

I let my voice fall quiet.

"Fight for Valhalla. Fight for its legacy in the next 3 hours."

That was it. I turned away, my cape flicking behind me.

They were scared. I saw it. But fear sharpens the mind. They'd either die with some pride or live with enough to remember today.

Honestly, I didn't care which.

They were all beneath me.

Sword Saints... Those frauds still flaunt their titles like it means something. Once this war ends, I'll prove them wrong. One by one, I'll humiliate them. They'll learn that arrogance backed by strength is called dominance. And I am dominance.

As I walked away, the memory from yesterday's evening slithered back into my head.

The banquet.

That guy.

I stopped and raised my wrist. The red imprint from his grip was still there—burning with humiliation I couldn't erase.

He said he got that strength from chess and writing.

Bull. Shit.

I clenched my hand into a fist, the tendons straining under my glove.

He'll pay. Once Scar's mission is complete, I'll move on my own.

Let them call me arrogant. Let them talk behind my back.

Because soon... they'll all bow to the self-made Sword Saint—

I, Aaron Kage.

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4/12/2017 – 9:20 AM

Three Hours Before the War...

Location: Rinascita Market Plaza, Outer Branch

Zain's Perspective:

Ugh... this was so stupid.

I can't believe that bastard actually made me give a speech to both of our guilds—his Eternal Overseers and my Celestial Apex—just because he couldn't be bothered to move his lazy ass off a chair. I mean, seriously. I had to go over strategies, roles, formations... all of it. Twice. Because Sword Saint of Mastery here decided "talking is a waste of energy."

And now I'm walking through the market district of Rinascita, beside the embodiment of procrastination himself.

Xander.

His steps were so slow and spaced out, I swear he looked more like a wandering drunk than a Sword Saint. The way his arms swung loosely, the slight slouch in his back—it was almost impressive how much effort he put into not looking like someone important. His red hair was a damn mess too, spiking in all directions like he'd just woken up from a nap in a haystack.

Did this guy even shower...? Or is he too lazy to move water?

"Zainnnyyy...!" he suddenly whined, dragging the sound like a toddler begging for candy.

I glared sideways at him. "Told you to stop calling me that."

He ignored the tone in my voice. Not unusual.

"I'm hungry... Let's go to that restaurant and get breakfast," he said, pointing halfheartedly toward a small place across the street.

I scoffed. "Do I look like your parent? Go feed yourself. We've got a war in three hours—get serious, you lazy moron."

"Ugh... Don't be like my sister," he grumbled. "All this trying be serious... Let's just eat."

Wait—sister? That caught my attention.

"You have a sister?" I raised a brow, genuinely surprised. "Was she just made up on the spot so you could guilt-trip me into feeding you?"

"Nah, she's real. Older than me. She nags more than you though. Such a hassle dealing with her..."

"Then why isn't she here?" I asked, half-joking, half-curious.

"She said she was busy with stuff back in our town," he replied, completely straight-faced. "So I came instead. I'm strong and useful, so obviously it was the right decision."

...The biggest load of bullshit I've heard in months. I didn't say it out loud, but I sure as hell thought it.

I glanced at his yellow eyes, his bedhead red hair, the casual slouch. "Does your sister even look like you?"

Xander caught the look I was giving him and, without missing a beat, muttered, "Hey man... don't call my sister hot indirectly."

I stopped in my tracks.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I wasn't calling her hot, I was asking if she looked like you!"

He grinned, clearly enjoying this way more than he should. "Ah, I see. Well, my sister Nyssa might be a pain... but she's a good one. Takes care of me. Unlike someone who won't buy me chicken for breakfast."

He even pouted at the end of that.

"Nyssa, huh..." I muttered, filing the name away. "Noted."

"I think—"

"Zainnnyyyy please! Buy me chicken for breakfast! I'm craving it!"

His voice suddenly shot up in volume like a kid on the verge of tears.

Then he added—with a proud smile,—"Last time I had REAL chicken was when I cooked your rooster!"

My jaw twitched. I swear I saw red for a second.

"Excuse me? Can you shut up, or are you trying to pick a fight right here in the middle of town?"

He blinked. "...Depends. Do I get chicken if I surrender?"

I was going to punch him.

God help me—I was really going to punch him.

I took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of my nose, already feeling a headache coming on.

"You're not gonna shut up until I buy you that damn chicken, are you?"

Xander blinked slowly. "Mmm... nope. That's energy I don't have."

Of course.

"Fine," I exhaled, voice low and threatening. "But only if you promise you'll actually try in the war today. No half-assed swings. No slacking off in the backline. No sudden naps mid-battle, got it?"

He tilted his head, like he was buffering.

"...If I say yes, do I get extra chicken?"

"Xander."

"Alright, alright," he muttered, throwing his hands down in defeat. "I already promised Nyssa I'd take this seriously anyway. Can't go back on that or she'll throw a sandal across the border."

I paused, staring at him. "...What?"

He just shrugged, arms hanging limp at his sides like even the motion was exhausting. "You don't know her. She trained with the military. Her slaps have a shockwave radius."

"...Why does that actually sound believable..."

"Because it is," he said with a deadpan look.

I sighed for what felt like the twentieth time in five minutes. "Alright. Let's get your damn chicken."

And just like that—he lit up.

Like literally lit up. His lazy half-dead eyes shimmered with life like he just unlocked happiness.

"I always knew you were my best friend!" he grinned, walking faster now.

"Don't push it. You're still buying the drinks."

"Ugh... fine. But only because water is cheaper than meat."

We walked through the cobbled path, the scent of food drifting in from stalls and restaurants as Rinascita buzzed with energy. Guild members, mercenaries, townfolk—everyone was getting ready. Some looked tense. Others were laughing in groups, pretending the looming threat wasn't hovering over them like a curse.

And yet here I was. Walking beside a slouching redhead Sword Saint going to have breakfast.

Time really moves fast.

Not long ago, I was fighting beside Levi, confident that we'd reshape the balance of power together. Then came that strange day—meeting Kaiser, a man who almost caused a big fight, and Celia, whose intensity made our members shift uncomfortably. Now I'm here... casually preparing for war against grotesques, side by side with another Sword Saint who isn't Levi.

The world really does throw surprises at you.

But deep down... I know Levi will do his best. He always does. He said he'd lead us to victory, and I believe him.

Still, something doesn't sit right with me.

A weight in my chest.

Like a warning that doesn't speak, but screams in silence.

I especially have a bad feeling about him...

Arius.

He came to the banquet yesterday uninvited, almost picked a fight with Aaron, and held him in place with ease. The man has the reflexes of a trained assassin—but he's supposedly just a D-Rank?

No way in hell.

What's his game?

What's he really hiding?

I glanced at Xander, who was now mumbling about spice levels and chicken skin texture like he was choosing between life and death.

I hope... I really hope this is just me overthinking things.

Just a bad feeling.

But if it's more than that...

Then the war won't be our only problem.

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4/12/2017 – 9:42 AM

Three Hours Before the War...

Location: Market District Tavern, Outer Branch.

Sophia's Perspective: 

This inn was way too extravagant for my taste. Like seriously—gold trimmings on the windows, silk tablecloths, and shiny silverware that probably cost more than my entire childhood? Yeah, no thanks. I dunno, even if I had all the money in the world, I'd still prefer one of those cozy, dusty inns with creaky wooden floors and warm stew.

Those feel... safer. Simpler. This place? This place feels like it's trying too hard to cover up how scared everyone actually is.

I glanced around the dining hall. Fancy suits, polished boots, expensive jewelry—all that nonsense. But none of it mattered now. Not with what's coming.

People were eating like they were being watched. Forks clinked against plates too nervously, eyes darting to the door like monsters were gonna barge in any second. And I guess they could. The air felt... wrong.

My heart thudded against my chest like it wanted to run away without me. I placed a trembling hand over it, trying to quiet it down. "Shhh... I'm scared too, okay? But we're not allowed to freak out anymore."

War was always a scary word. But now? It wasn't a word anymore. It was real. Like... blood-and-screaming real. I could already hear it in my head—the sound of people begging, crying, dying.

I hated that.

I hated how it reminded me of that day.

The Asura Crisis.

God, even thinking the name made my hands clam up.

I don't... I don't wanna see monsters rip through people again. I don't wanna watch someone scream as their skin gets shredded—shredded!—until it hits bone. I don't wanna hear that awful, ugly sound when they cry so hard their voice gives out.

Then... a monster finishes the suffering.

They eat them.

I hugged myself tighter, nails digging into my arms. My body was already shaking, but I couldn't stop. I didn't wanna remember, but memories are mean like that—they don't ask for permission.

Especially... especially because this time... Kaiser won't be there to save me again.

The moment that thought crept in, I felt my throat close up like I swallowed something sharp. My eyes darted to Isaac across the table. He wasn't talking. Just... staring at nothing. Deep in thought, like me.

Everyone was. Fear had this weird way of making even loud people go quiet.

Only a few hours left until it all starts. Maybe two?

I think so...

Maybe this time... I really won't make it through.

But even if I don't... I'm not gonna let fear tie me down again. Not this time.

The noise of the inn faded into static, quieting down in my mind. All I could feel was the weight in my chest, my lungs tightening, my fingers going cold. My body remembered it before my brain did.

That day... two years ago...

The monster. The one from back then...

I-I-It had...

These teeth. Sharp, crooked, soaked in blood. Like it enjoyed tearing people apart. Its mouth was huge, big enough to crush a human skull like a grape. Its skin was... gray, slimy, stretched like it was never meant to fit over a body that big. Limbs—six of them—long and thin, like razors meant to choke, slice, strangle anything alive.

It was called the Velgorath... but I just call it a monster. Because "Velgorath" sounds like something you can study. This thing? This thing eats people alive while looking into their eyes...

I still remember how my tears blurred everything as it pinned me to the ground. I was screaming, sobbing, begging. But the only answer I got was the wet, squelchy sound of its teeth biting into my right shoulder.

It was eating me.

Me.

I could feel it chew until it reached my bone.

Elfie was fighting nearby, but... she was overwhelmed. We all were. And I thought... I really thought that was it.

I thought I would die there. And the monster would just move on to the next.

I didn't even have the strength to cry anymore. My body went limp. My eyes barely stayed open. And then... its mouth opened again. This time... it aimed for my neck.

To slowly bite down and take my breath away.

Everything went dark....

I felt cold...

And I was okay with it. I really was. My life didn't have much left in it anyway. I thought that was where it all ended. Alone. Afraid. Half-eaten and forgotten.

But then—

Just as the world was slipping away like my heart...

I saw him.

Kaiser.

Right next to me.

The Velgorath—that monster—wasn't a monster anymore.

It was pieces. Sliced up until it wasn't visible anymore. Its limbs, its face, its stupid tongue—gone. Gone like they never existed.

I was too weak... too broken... to even say anything to him. My lips trembled, but they didn't move. My vision was all fuzzy—red, dark, swimming with spots—but I could still see him.

Kaiser.

My right shoulder—what was left of it—was barely hanging on. The skin had been torn open, chewed through.... I could see the bone. White, exposed, raw... like something out of a nightmare. It was still bleeding. Still hurting.

But when I looked into his eyes...

Those cold, crystal blue eyes...

My heart—ugh, why was it still beating so hard?

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Even when I thought I would die... Even when I thought he was done with me...

He still came back.

He still... saved me.

He might've used me. He might've tossed me aside after everything. After Elfie showed up—his one and only friend—and he didn't need me anymore. He threw me away like I was just a tool, a toy.

But still...

When the world turned pitch black...

When nobody wanted to see me anymore...

When I didn't even want to see myself...

He came.

Just like the first time. Just like back then. When I was drowning in my own pain, and he pulled me out.

He knelt down and moved my head gently onto his lap.

His fingers were cold.

I could still hear the screams. All around us. Students begging for someone to help them. Monsters howling like death itself. Bones snapping. Flesh tearing. It sounded like hell.

But all I could see were his eyes.

His damn blue eyes.

"P...please..." I wanted to say it. I wanted to scream it.

"P-please, K-Kaiser... s-save me... o-one... m-more time..."

But my mouth wouldn't listen. My voice was gone. All that came out was a pathetic, breathy whisper swallowed by the chaos.

He didn't ask questions. Didn't smile. Didn't even look sad. He just... moved.

Pulled out a small black knife from his belt—clean, sharp, and sliced a neat line across his own forearm.

I was too weak to move. My fingers twitched, that's it.

Then, with his other hand, he reached down and opened my mouth.

I couldn't stop him. Couldn't even look away.

A few drops of his blood fell onto my tongue.

Warm. Metallic. Deeply strange...

I swallowed it before I even realized it.

And for a second... for the tiniest, most fragile second... I felt dying was distant...

I wanted to ask him why. I wanted to scream "What did you just feed me?!" I had so many questions—so, so many—but my lips still wouldn't move.

Then his voice cut through the chaos. Deep. Calm. Heavy like thunder.

"You'll live, Sophia. Rest now. I'll end this."

He gently rested my head back on the ground. The warmth from his lap faded instantly, and I felt the earth underneath me again. Cold. Dirty. But...

I still felt his presence above me.

I blinked through my blurred vision—and saw him standing tall.

Two black swords crossed on his back. Their edges shimmered with elemental runes—lightning and wind. Made for blood.

At his waist... two blood-red daggers. One pulsed like a dying heart, cursed and twisted, reeking of death. The other? Frozen, still, like a whisper from the underworld.

He didn't even look back at me.

He just walked away.

Kaiser was... terrifying. The kind of terrifying that made even monsters hesitate.

Because today he was...

Serious.

And yet...

He was beautiful in that moment.

The last time I properly saw him... he was walking toward Elfie—toward the opening of the academy—where the screaming was louder, and the monsters were waiting. His coat fluttered behind him, his black cape was flowing.

Maybe... maybe if he had cared about me more... he would've stayed by my side. Maybe... if I meant anything close to what she meant to him...

He would've looked at me like that.

But he didn't.

And that truth... hurt more than the gaping hole in my shoulder.

As I lay there on the ground, broken and bleeding...

The pain began to fade somehow. It wasn't cold anymore. It wasn't... as painful.

Somehow, for some reason I didn't understand...

It felt like, even if I died... I wouldn't be... dead?

I focused out of that memory back to my—

The present. Yeah... right. The inn. Warm fire, wooden walls, Isaac staring blankly at the wall like he had questions.

I was safe.

But even now... sitting here... surrounded by people and not monsters, I could feel my heart squeezing again.

Even in the inn with Isaac... I felt tears almost coming back just remembering that day. That mess of blood and pain. Of people screaming for help... and getting silence back.

Even if I lived...

So many didn't.

So many didn't have Kaiser.

Because he wasn't some hero.

No. He only saved those who knew about him.

...No, even that feels like a lie.

He only saved the people he... kind of cared about. A little.

And for whatever weird, twisted reason... I was one of them.

After that day... life didn't magically get better.

No.

It only got tougher. Rougher. Lonelier.

And somehow... it brought me here.

To another war.

To another town where monsters breathe and people bleed, and the scent of ash clings to your skin even after you wash it off.

Meeting Lucas... here was by pure coincidence but I guess he also wanted answers. Who wouldn't? That day itself was Hell.

And the thing is... even if I'm terrified... even if my body sometimes shakes just hearing screams in the distance—

I don't want to run anymore.

I'm past that now.

I looked down at my wrist and raised my arm slowly. My hand trembled just a bit.

It was once... chopped off.

Like—gone. Gone-gone.

Clean slice. No magic. Just snap—and then pain. A lot of pain.

My legs, too...

They were gone once.

That time was during an adventurer guild quest. I thought I could do it alone. Thought I was strong enough being an A-Ranked Adventurer.

I wasn't...

That was a year ago...

B-but... I—I still don't get it.

I saw my own limbs. I remember lying there, barely conscious, bleeding out. My left leg was tossed to the side like trash. My right hand was just... across the ground.

And yet...

When I woke up...

Everything was there.

Back. Like it never left.

No scars. No wounds. No healing potions. Nothing.

Just... my body. Whole.

It started... after I swallowed Kaiser's blood.

That day during the Asura Crisis. After my shoulder was practically bitten to the bone. After the screaming stopped and the academy went quiet, like the world had finally given up on living...

When I woke up...

They told me I had no injuries.

None.

The medics, the healers—everyone said they never used any magic on me. They just found me... lying there.

Perfectly fine.

But I wasn't fine.

Not inside.

My shoulder, my bones, the bleeding—all of it was just gone. As if it had never happened. As if that monster never touched me.

And since then...

I haven't felt pain.

Not real pain. Not the kind that makes you want to scream and cry and beg someone to hold you.

What I feel now...

It's something else.

This weird sensation... this rotting, crawling thing under my skin.

Like... my body is constantly decaying. Not dying—just... not even alive?

Like it's stuck somewhere between "alive" and "something else."

I...

I don't understand.

Kaiser... when I find you...

You're gonna tell me what the hell you did to me.

What was wrong with your blood?

What did you turn me into?

Because when I bleed—

When even a single drop of my blood touches something living—

It dies.

The grass. Bugs. Small creatures. Even a wounded monster once—

It screamed when my blood landed on it.

Like my blood wasn't mine anymore.

And this thing inside me—whatever it is—

It heals me.

It fixes broken bones and torn muscles. It brings back limbs. It makes the pain stop before it even starts.

But it doesn't feel like a gift.

It feels like something stolen. Something that wasn't supposed to be given.

And now it won't leave.

It's like my body's fighting itself... and winning. Over and over again.

I blinked, and the warm glow of the inn came back. The cold sweat on my back made my shirt cling weird, and I wiped my face without even realizing I was crying.

Arius finally walked in and flopped into the chair next to us. He looked like he just did something suspicious, but Isaac didn't even notice. He was still staring into the wall.

Me? I was just trying to breathe.

Maybe I should focus back on the present. Back on now. Back on the breakfast and Isaac's depressing energy.

Because Kaiser's not here.

And until I see him again...

I won't be getting any answers.

Not about the blood.

Not about the decay.

Not about the monster I'm becoming every time I survive something I shouldn't.

"Sophia, were you crying?" Arius's voice broke the silence, way softer than usual.

Crap. I guess I didn't hide it well. My eyes must've still been red... or puffy... or both.

I gave a quick sniff and looked away. "N-No. I just got... caught in the mood or whatever. I mean—who wouldn't be a little messed up when we're about to be thrown into a war?" I tried to laugh, but it cracked halfway.

He didn't push it, thank goodness. Just gave me this gentle pat on the shoulder—my right one. The one that was almost gone once.

"It'll be alright," he said, smiling faintly. "You'll survive."

And I froze.

Why... why did he have to say it like that?

He turned his attention to Isaac, whose silence was weirdly louder than anything else in the room.

"You seem lost in thought, Isaac," Arius said, almost teasing, but not quite. "Something serious bugging you?"

Isaac blinked, looking like he just woke up from a nightmare. He shook his head quickly. "It's nothing. We should—"

"I had a little visit to your wife, Isaac."

That stopped everything.

Arius's voice was soft. Too soft. Dangerously soft. My skin crawled.

"She's... not doing so well."

I whipped my head toward Isaac. His whole face turned pale.

Wait... Wife?

Isaac has a wife?!

Here?! In Rinascita?

Since when? How did I not know? Why didn't anyone know?!

Isaac's lips trembled. "H-How... how do you know about her?"

Arius didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked down at the table, expression unreadable, then slowly raised his head. The look in his eyes... it wasn't Arius anymore.

"I found the broken ring," he said. "In your pouch. A few days ago."

My heart dropped.

"It didn't take me long to figure it out."

Isaac didn't speak. He couldn't. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

Then, before I could even process, Arius stood up and pulled Isaac by the collar. Chairs scraped. Heads turned. My breath caught in my throat.

"What do you have to say?" Arius growled. His words were low, venomous.

"Wife beater?"

My body stiffened.

Isaac's eyes widened like he just got stabbed in the chest. He tried to pull away, but Arius didn't budge. His hand gripped tighter.

"W-What do you mean...?" I asked, barely above a whisper, voice shaky. My chest felt like it was about to crack open.

Arius didn't even look at me.

"Isaac's married," he said, like he was listing a fact.

"A year ago, his wife got pregnant. And instead of being a man, instead of being a decent human being—he started hitting her."

I gasped.

My heart? It just stopped. Or broke. Maybe both.

"He beat her," Arius continued, "when she cried, when she begged him to stop. And then... he scarred her. Her face. Just to remind her she was his."

I was... frozen.

Isaac couldn't even deny it.

He just stood there, trembling, choking on every word he couldn't say.

Arius dropped him. Just like that. Let go of his collar and Isaac collapsed onto the wooden inn floor with a loud thud that echoed in my bones.

The room had gone so silent it hurt.

I just stared. Everything in me wanted to scream, but I couldn't even blink.

I didn't know what hurt more—what I'd just heard or the fact that I believed it.

Because of how Arius said it...

Because of how Isaac didn't deny it.

Because of how broken he looked.

And because I... I thought Isaac was my friend.

But maybe... monsters don't always look like monsters. Sometimes they just sit next to you... share meals with you... talk about normal things and laugh.

And sometimes they're quiet.

"You don't know anything!" Isaac snapped, staggering to his feet, voice desperate, shaking. "Stay out of it, Arius! This isn't your damn business—my life, my past—none of it has anything to do with you!"

Arius tilted his head slightly, almost bored. "No?" he said, voice calm. Too calm. "It became my business the moment I saw her face."

Isaac clenched his jaw. His fists were trembling now.

Arius walked a slow step forward. "She didn't want to talk. I didn't push her. But... you know what finally broke her silence?"

He paused. The tension was suffocating.

"She said she didn't want anyone else to get hurt the way she did."

"Shut up..." Isaac muttered, his tone rising.

"She said she still hoped you'd become a better man." Arius's smile twisted. "What a joke."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Isaac roared, stepping forward, eyes wild. "You don't get to play judge! You don't know what I went through!"

Arius didn't blink. "And what exactly did she go through, Isaac?"

He stepped closer, the air felt heavier with every word.

"You had a child on the way. A wife who trusted you. And all you could do... was use your fists like a coward."

Isaac's face twisted. "Don't act like you're above me! You know nothing!"

Arius's tone dropped. Cold... "You're not a man, Isaac. You're just a scared little insect who only knows how to beat the one person who couldn't hit back."

That was it.

Isaac screamed and lunged—"SHUT UP!"—fist cocked, aiming straight at Arius's face.

But Arius...

He twisted his upper body to the side, letting the punch fly past his face with only inches to spare. His right forearm guided the momentum off-course, and in one fluid motion—

Crack!

His left fist slammed into Isaac's jaw.

Isaac staggered, dazed—but it didn't stop there.

Arius's hand latched onto his shoulder, pulling him forward, just in time for a knee to drive into Isaac's gut.

"Guh—!" Isaac wheezed, coughing spit as he stumbled back—

Then—

WHUMP!

A low, bone-vibrating kick slammed into the side of Isaac's calf. The noise wasn't a clean crack... but it was close.

I flinched, covering my mouth with both hands.

He collapsed, leg buckling under him—and Arius didn't wait.

He grabbed Isaac by the shoulder, dragged him down into the floor, then straddled him. In a blink, he pinned Isaac's arm under his knee and twisted the other one down.

Pinned. Trapped. Helpless.

I couldn't breathe.

He wasn't fighting to prove a point.

He was fighting to kill

His style... it wasn't meant for sparring.

It was meant for killing.

He almost fought just like Kaiser did.

And then...

Arius raised his arm. His fist coiled above Isaac's face, knuckles clenched tight, shadows darkening his eyes.

"Should I scar your face?" he said quietly, gaze dead cold.

"Should I bash your face in until you can't stand to look in a mirror either?"

Isaac said nothing. Not a sound. Just his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Maybe that'll help you understand what you've done," Arius whispered. "Maybe every time someone stares at you in disgust, you'll remember how she felt. Every time a kid cries when they see your destroyed face, maybe you'll finally get it."

He didn't sound angry anymore.

He sounded empty.

"Do you want to live like her? Hiding your scars in shame? Is that the kind of life you were so desperate to create, Isaac?"

Still no answer.

Just silence.

And Isaac's eyes... weren't defiant anymore.

They were afraid.

Arius exhaled slowly. "As tempted as I am..."

He lowered his fist.

"I'll keep my promise. For now."

He climbed off Isaac and stood up like nothing happened. Reached into his overcoat. Pulled out a small glass vial glowing pale green.

He tossed it—clink—it rolled beside Isaac's trembling hand.

"Heal yourself," Arius said icily. "And get out of my sight."

Isaac didn't speak. Couldn't, maybe.

He shakily reached for the potion, popped the cork with a shaking thumb, and drank with trembling gulps. Then, barely able to stand, he limped out of the inn. No one helped him. Others in the inn were as shocked as me...

His leg dragged slightly behind him. That low kick must've nearly snapped the muscle. And the scariest part?

Arius wasn't even trying.

I know that because I've seen someone fight like that before.

But far more deadly.

Far more unforgiving.

Kaiser.

My chest tightened.

Arius turned toward me, brushing a strand of black hair behind his ear. His blue eyes—sharp, deep, colder than usual—locked with mine.

But for a second... I saw something.

The void in his eyes staring back at me

"We should get ready, Sophia," he said, voice calm again.

"The war's in two hours."

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"...Yeah. Okay."

But I couldn't look away from his eyes.

Because even after everything I'd just seen—They still reminded me of his.

A void so dark... nobody can survive it.