Plop.
Xia sat in his chair. With a snap, he closed the book in his hands and gently set it down on the table.
He rose from his chair and went to the window beside him.
He gently lifted the curtain and leaned out to look at the garden behind the house.
The beautiful flowers were vying to show off their splendor. The lush green grass swayed in the breeze.
A beautiful golden-haired figure sat on a swing made of green vines in one corner of the garden.
Her legs were crossed idly, and her hands rested on her knees, propping up her puffed-out cheeks.
Artoria, her lips pouting, was still angry.
The energetic strand of hair atop her head drooped listlessly, too.
She looked utterly dejected...
"..." Watching Artoria secretly through the curtain, Xia could only shake his head helplessly at the sight.
He let the curtain fall and turned toward the door.
The breeze stirred gently, and the golden hair its owner had left untied danced in the air.
Artoria stared blankly at the grass beneath her feet.
Remembering her argument with Xia and how it had ended, she couldn't help smiling a little. It felt as if she'd returned to the Fairy Forest once more...
Back then, she'd refused to be protected any longer and wanted to fight for herself. That was why she'd had a huge argument with Xia.
"Xia, you're so stubborn! I can take care of myself even without your protection!"
That was what I said back then...
But then...?
The girl who'd sneaked out on her own had been surrounded by forest wolves. Nearly a hundred beasts had glared at her with their green, gleaming eyes.
It was as if they were deciding where to sink their teeth first...
The girl was frightened. She regretted it.
Her legs trembled. Leaning against a tree trunk, she clutched the dead grass at her feet. She didn't dare move at all...
She'd thought she was doomed, that the monsters before her would tear her apart and devour her...
Their foul mouths dripped with saliva, their long, pale fangs gleamed, and their eyes shone green. Their low snarls sounded almost gleeful.
"Xia..."
She was frightened. Terrified...
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
For the first time, the girl understood why he never let her go outside alone.
For the first time, she understood why he always came back from outside carrying food, his body covered in countless wounds.
"ROAR!!!!"
A wolf that looked like the pack's leader let out a roar, interrupting the girl's recollections. The nearly hundred wolves behind it roared along with it.
For some reason, the girl understood what the leader's roar meant.
—Eat.
As a wolf sprang up and lunged at me, I was too frightened to move. My mind went blank. Only my instincts made me search the grass with my hands for something I could use to defend myself.
The wolf's filthy jaws came closer and closer. The spray of saliva filled the girl with revulsion.
As the wolf's jaws drew nearer, the girl's hands searched the grass more desperately.
"Huh?!"
The wolf's jaws were right in front of her. She could even smell its breath.
The girl's right hand found a hard stone. In a flash, she snatched it up and hurled it at the wolf's head!
"Yelp!!"
The stone struck the wolf in its right eye. Howling in pain, it retreated into the pack.
Watching the wolf disappear among the others, the girl's stalled breathing finally started again. She gasped for air, and the cold sweat of one who'd narrowly escaped death soaked her hair and back.
"Hah... hah... haah..."
The wolf that had retreated into the pack glared at her with its one remaining good eye.
Then it roared at the pack again!
As if it had issued an order, the wolves began to advance when they heard the roar.
If I'd only been facing one wolf, maybe I could've gotten away.
But facing nearly a hundred...
The girl didn't even have the strength to grip the stone in her hand. The stone she'd normally toss aside without a thought felt unbearably heavy. Her head swam, and her whole body felt cold...
"ROAR, ROAR, ROAR!!!!"
The howling pack charged at the girl, who was huddled at the foot of the tree.
As the snarling, hungry beasts rushed toward her, the girl's small body trembled beneath the tree.
She curled up tightly, her arms wrapped around herself.
She bowed her head and buried it deep between her knees.
"ROAR, ROAR, ROAR!!!!!"
She heard the pounding footsteps drawing closer and closer. She heard the beasts' roars approaching.
Her eyes squeezed shut, her body shook, and her mouth stayed firmly closed.
"Mmph...! Mmph... sob...!"
Her soft sobs. Her tears wouldn't stop.
For the first time, the girl knew regret—and for the first time, she was so close to death...
She regretted how weak she was.
She was angry at her own ignorance.
"Xia... Xia..."
She called softly, hoping for an answer.
The one person she could rely on was the one she was counting on now.
But...
The figure she hoped would come to save her never appeared...
Had he abandoned her...?
Did he hate her...?
Had he left her behind...?
Facing the pack now charging at her, the girl's lips quivered.
"ROAR, ROAR, ROAR!!!"
Was I really going to be eaten just like this?
Was everything going to end here?
Wouldn't I even get one more chance to regret it...?
"Xia..."
Rumble...
The stone slipped from her hand and rolled across the grass.
Her eyes were shut, her eyelashes trembling faintly.
In the sunlight, the girl's small body gave off its final glimmer.
Was this... despair?
"ROAR!!!"
The beast's sharp fangs had already touched the girl's slender neck.
All it would take was a little pressure from its jaw, and its teeth would surely pierce her fragile neck at once.
But...
Just as the fangs were about to bite down—
The wind erupted into a frenzy!
Fierce, bloodthirsty, and filled with enough fury to set the sky ablaze!
"You filthy, wild mongrels!!!! Who the hell do you think you're baring those damn mouths at!!!!!"
BOOM!!!!!
A roar of near-mindless rage, sprays of blood, flying fangs, and bodies hurled back into the pack like tattered rags.
Thud!! Skrrr...
The bloodied body slammed into the ground and still slid dozens of meters across it.
The pack that had been roaring in fury fell silent in an instant.
They growled low and cautiously backed away a couple of steps.
Looking at the strange human before them, the wolves' instincts screamed a warning!
The thing in front of them wasn't prey.
It was a beast even fiercer than they were!!
His eyes were completely bloodshot. His hair stood on end, and his face was twisted into a monstrous grimace.
Blood dripped from the fist that had sent one of their own flying.
He turned, his lithe body facing the golden-haired girl huddled beneath the tree.
He slowly reached out and checked her breathing.
Only after confirming again and again that she'd merely fainted from fright did the black-haired boy finally let out a deep breath.
He turned back to the pack. The gentleness and worry he'd shown the girl were gone, replaced by an expression of boundless, savage fury.
"I'll skin you alive! Break every bone in your bodies! Eat your flesh raw!! I'll rip out all your guts and dry them into jerky!!!"
"ROAR!!! ROAR!!!!"
"Those filthy hearts of yours!!!! The moment I tear them out, I'll crush them to pulp right in front of your eyes!!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
The boy's words were savage and bloody. With every sentence, his face twisted into an even more terrifying expression.
"I'll tear every last one of you into shreds, and make you pay!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy who'd been standing before the girl vanished from where he stood.
His lithe form became a streak of black light and shot into the pack.
Then the bloodbath began.
Under the afternoon sun, the bare-chested black-haired boy darted back and forth among the beasts.
His eyes were completely red.
His black hair streamed in the air, and his claws were as vicious as an eagle's talons.
Blood sprayed. Organs flew through the air.
Everywhere the boy went, he drove his hand straight through a wolf's chest, then yanked hard!
He tore the wolf's heart from its body in an instant and crushed it in his hand!
He was more frenzied than any beast.
More terrifying than any monster.
His methods were more bloody than those of even the ruthless hunters.
Fear and cowardice took hold. The wolves began to scatter.
But they couldn't escape. They couldn't get away.
Whenever a wolf tried to flee with its back turned to the black-haired demon, a blood-red arm would burst through its belly, dragging out its organs along with it!
When the pack realized that none of them would escape unless they killed the demon before them, they went mad too, losing what little reason they had.
They charged fearlessly at the demon in the center of the pack, using their own flesh and blood to pave the way for the next assault.
The blood had pooled into a river.
The black strands of hair had been dyed red.
The bloody battle raged on...
Only when the sun, once high overhead, sank toward the western mountains did the battle finally end.
In the dense forest...
The boy walked along the road back, carrying the girl on his back. His entire body was drenched in crimson blood.
The rage and savagery had faded from his face, replaced by relief and calm.
Step... stumble!
His foot twisted slightly, nearly sending him tumbling to the ground.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly, spreading his legs and forcing his body back upright.
"Mm..."
The girl on his back stirred awake.
Her eyes opened, and she looked around in confusion.
"Where am I...? Where are the wolves?"
Her murmured words showed how bewildered she was.
The girl, who'd thought she was going to die, looked at the quiet surroundings and felt a strange sense of relief. She voiced her confusion.
"Artoria..."
!!!
The familiar voice made the girl tense up all over.
The instinct to hide immediately.
Yet when she realized she was on the young man's back, she lowered her head again, a little shy.
"...Xia... are you angry?" Artoria asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yeah!"
Their conversation fell silent. The only sound was the young man's steady footsteps, one after another, as they crunched across the ground.
"Mm... sob..."
"Hm?!"
Creak.
Hearing a quiet sob behind him, the young man stopped in surprise.
"Mm... sob... Waaah! Ah! Sob, sob, sob!"
"Wha—! A-Artoria?!"
The girl's sudden outburst of tears nearly made the young man carrying her stumble and fall again!
"Xia, you hate me now, don't you?! Because I didn't listen to you, right?! Sob, sob, ah, sob!!!"
"No! Are you kidding me?! I could hate the whole world, but I could never hate you!!"
"Sniff... but... but you... you just said 'Yeah!'... Doesn't that mean you hate me now?! Sob!"
"Th-that was just me talking nonsense! I was being an idiot! I said something stupid!! You have to believe me, Artoria!!"
Faced with the girl's heartbroken sobbing, the young man was nearly frantic! If only he'd known, why had he thrown a damn childish tantrum?! He wanted to slap himself twice!
"Sniff... r-really? Sniff..."
Hearing the young man's frantic words, the girl finally stopped crying so loudly. Still sniffling a little, she asked him,
"Yes, yes, yes!!! That's right, that's right, that's right!!!!"
The young man nodded so quickly his head bobbed like a ball on the waves, terrified that the goddess on his back would start crying again.
"Sniff... but... you were still angry with me, weren't you...? Sniff..."
"No, no! How could I be angry with you?! I was mad at those wolf beasts. That's right, them! They had no manners at all! That's why I was angry!"
Without hesitation, the young man blamed the innocent wolf beasts for what had just happened. They were all dead anyway, so they couldn't come after him for it~
"Sniff... sniff... yeah..."
After hearing his confirmation, Artoria finally stopped crying. She rubbed her tear-reddened eyes with her little hands, then leaned against Xia's back again, letting herself rely on him completely.
She felt the reassuring presence she could still depend on, the peace of mind that came with surviving a close brush with death.
The forest fell quiet.
Feeling that the girl had finally stopped crying, the young man breathed a sigh of relief, then started walking again.
"I'm sorry, Xia... I was being too selfish."
With her face buried against the young man's back, the girl murmured the apology she had wanted to say for so long.
"Heh... Artoria being selfish... huff... is the greatest sign of trust you could give me.
...Huff... It's because you depend on me and trust me that you act this way with me, isn't it...? Huff..."
Hearing the girl's words, the young man smiled as if it didn't matter.
But his breathing grew heavier and heavier.
"Xia... I... actually really like the life I have now. When I'm with you, I always feel safe.
When I'm sick, Xia stays by my side and encourages me.
When I'm hungry, Xia always appears in front of me with fresh fruit, so I can fill my stomach.
I like you just the way you are, Xia.
So... I was thinking that maybe it wouldn't matter if I never became a knight, as long as I could be with you..."
Listening to Artoria's gentle words, Xia felt warm all over, as if he were soaking in warm water.
"Xia... you'll always stay by my side, won't you?"
"Heh... huff... As long as you don't mind, then... Urk! Cough! Cough, cough!!"
Xia had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he felt blood surge up from inside him.
Bent forward, Xia forcibly swallowed the blood that had reached his throat. Then he broke into several violent coughs.
"Xia?! Xia, are you all right?!"
Sensing that something was wrong, Artoria quickly lifted her head to check on him.
But the moment she stretched out her hands, Xia suddenly straightened up, startling her into hurriedly grabbing him to keep her balance.
"Haha! I scared you, didn't I? That's punishment for sneaking off without telling me! Wahaha... ha... ha..."
Xia teased her in a tone that suggested he had deliberately meant to scare her.
"Honestly... could you please stop scaring people like that?"
Artoria, who really had been frightened, grumbled after hearing what Xia said.
"Haha... sorry, sorry~ But... now we're even! Huff...!"
Xia forced himself to keep his spirits up and managed a weak smile.
"Hey, Artoria... get some sleep... When we get home... I'll wake you..."
Maybe...
"Okay... but you have to promise me, don't ever leave me behind. Otherwise... I..."
"Heh. Unless I'm 'dead,' I'll never leave you. Just rest easy... When you wake up, you'll find that 'I' am still here, protecting you."
"Okay... I know... Whenever I'm in danger, Xia always appears by my side, right...?"
Just like that time...
"As you say..."
If it was to protect you, you could do whatever you wanted with this useless life of mine...
"Xia will protect me..."
Because I love Xia more than anyone...
"Yeah."
I swear it on my soul...
"You'll protect me... forever and ever..."
If it was Xia...
"Yes. May, lord."
I'll prove it with the Eyes of Heaven. Not even time can stop me.
"Xia... you're... my... hero... huff..."
Feeling the girl on his back fast asleep, Xia's lips curled into a gentle, doting smile.
Then he kept walking.
Through the lonely forest.
The blood-soaked young man slowly trudged onward, carrying the sleeping girl on his back.
With every step, his life grew shorter by a moment.
With every step, his blood flowed faster.
His eyelids... were so heavy.
Every bone in his body... was crying out in pain.
But.
Even with his body covered in wounds, the young man stubbornly kept carrying the girl on his back.
With his own hands!
With his own feet!
He felt his way along the road.
The sunset had vanished completely from the sky, and the forest had fallen under the quiet darkness of night.
Creak... creak...
The blood-soaked young man finally carried the girl on his back to their temporary shelter.
Fighting off the fog of consciousness that threatened to knock him out at any moment, he gently lowered the girl from his back onto the wooden bed.
With eyes that could barely see anymore, he checked the girl's injuries again and again. Only after confirming that she had suffered nothing more than a fright and a few minor wounds did he relax.
A faint flush returned to the young man's deathly pale face.
Then... the world spun around him.
Thud!
Still smiling, the young man collapsed straight onto the ground.
His eyes slowly closed, carrying a hint of relief and peace...
His breathing grew weaker.
His heart grew faint.
On the journey back, the young man had never once stopped by the roadside or leaned against a tree to rest.
He had carried the girl all the way back to this wooden hut.
He could easily have told her about his injuries, then let her walk beside him and help him get back...
But...
Why...?
"Yeah... why was that...?"
Resting her head against the swing rope, Artoria thought about the question, unable to figure it out...
Then she idly swung her little feet, crossed over one another.
"Heh... What do you mean, 'why'? Are you trying to figure out how to escape my watch, Artoria...?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Artoria instinctively turned toward Xia.
But when she saw him walking toward her with a smile, she puffed out her cheeks in a huff and turned her head away.
"Uh!"
His hand, which he had been about to lift in greeting, awkwardly froze in midair.
Xia's mouth twitched slightly. He shook his head with a wry smile.
"Still angry...?"
Coming up behind the swing, Xia looked helplessly at the girl who had deliberately turned away from him.
"Hmph!"
A haughty snort was her answer.
"...Forgive me, Artoria. Let this be the one selfish thing I ask of you... please?"
Xia walked around to stand in front of Artoria, then crouched down to look her in the eye as he pleaded.
"...No! I'm a king. I absolutely can't accept hiding behind you!"
Stubbornly, Artoria turned away again.
"And besides..."
"Hmm?" Xia looked at Artoria in confusion.
"I don't want to see it again... Xia covered in wounds because of me... It hurts so much... I can't stop crying..."
{Back then, Xia was lying on the wooden boards, covered in blood. He had no body heat... no heartbeat... and he wasn't even breathing..! I was scared...}
Xia's pupils contracted slightly as he stared in astonishment at Artoria, who had said something like that.
"I don't want to see Xia getting hurt because of me, bleeding because of me, or nearly stopping breathing because of me again! I can't bear it!
That's why I want to fight! I want to become stronger! It isn't to prove anything to you! It isn't to become a knight! And it isn't because I want to show off! It's just... just..."
Artoria suddenly turned around and seized Xia by the collar with both hands, shouting at him.
"So Xia will understand how I feel!"
"There isn't only one man here who would give up his soul for someone named Artoria!
There's also a woman who would give up her life for someone named Drak. D. Xia!
Do you understand, Xia?!"
Love was steadfast.
Love was supreme.
Love was a poison that made people willingly lose themselves.
The more tragic a person's life, the more extreme their ideas about love.
Those who had once been lonelier were all the more sensitive to the very concept of love.
Xia and Artoria were both just such people.
That was why they valued each other so deeply.
But because they valued each other so much, they were always bound to clash.
Xia was terrified that Artoria would get hurt, because if she did, it would be like having his soul ripped open.
Artoria was afraid that Xia would suddenly disappear from her side again. No one would want to experience again the despair of losing the person they depended on, the one who supported them.
The corners of Xia's mouth lifted slightly. His face was filled with contentment and happiness.
He reached out and gently ruffled the golden hair of the lovely girl before him.
"Thank you."
Xia looked Artoria in the eye and thanked her sincerely.
"Th-thank you for what?"
Taken aback by the sudden thanks, Artoria looked at Xia in confusion.
"Thank you for everything... your smile, your beauty, your honesty, your loyalty, and... your very existence."
As he spoke, Xia straightened up and smiled down at Artoria.
"But... I'd been planning to take you with me on this sortie. After what you just said, that idea has been blasted all the way to Mars."
At this, Xia gave Artoria another mischievous grin as she puffed out her cheeks again.
"My Goddess, at this moment, the mission of my 'Thought Projection' comes to an end.
"Now, please allow me to show you a power capable of protecting you all the way to the end of the cosmic era!"
As Xia's words rang out, sounding as though he had finally let go of something weighing on his heart,
the mana within the barrier suddenly began to run wild!
The sky! It was breaking apart!
The earth! It was shaking!
The Eternal Throne was collapsing! The Hero King and Conqueror King had just struggled to their feet on the sand dune when the suddenly shaking world sent them crashing back to the ground.
Crack... crack... crack...
The cracks in the barrier grew wider and wider, until, with a boom,
a crimson beam of light shot straight up from Einzbern Castle, instantly sweeping away the thick clouds that had blotted out the sun!
Warm sunlight once again bathed the earth, enveloping Einzbern Castle, which had been reduced to a battlefield.
The walls, burned black by the flames.
The rocks, pulverized by the violent impact.
Two boys and a girl stood atop a pile of ruins, staring at one another against the backdrop of the battered castle.
One of the boys wore golden armor and a purple-gold crown. He gripped a golden spear etched with dragon patterns, and a tiger-patterned sword hung at his side.
His face was resolute and murderous. (Though, if you looked closely... you could still see a trace of heat and apprehension in his eyes.)
The other wore a red battle robe and held a red dragon-patterned spear. Three crescent-shaped swords hung behind him at his waist.
He was grinning cheekily at the boy beside him, who had the bearing of an emperor.
The girl, kneeling between the two boys, stared at them in shock. Apart from their clothing, they were completely identical.
While the girl was still stunned, the boy with the bearing of an emperor suddenly swept his spear through the air beside him. Space rippled, and two more boys stepped out. They were dressed differently, but looked exactly alike.
Four people. Four identical yet different boys.
They stood shoulder to shoulder before the girl, silently watching her...
A bitterly cold wind began to blow, and the clouds that had already been dispersed slowly gathered again.
The icy wind made the girl, still kneeling on the ruins, suddenly shiver.
Then she abruptly crossed her arms over her chest, looking alarmed.
"What are you going to do to me?!"
A two-in-one chapter!
The next chapter will explain what a "Thought Projection" is.
Let's get those recommendation votes rolling! Nearly ten thousand words, and you still won't vote?!
Well... I want your feedback, and your theories about what's going to happen next.
I'd like to use your ideas as a reference. That's all~!
Before you continue