"Yngveal!", a brutish, loud man barged into his little hut. "Yngveal?", the man muttered, an irritated look rose on his face, "Who the hell is Yngveal? The name's Yngvi, don't say it if you can't, you unlearned boar."Yngvi stood up, putting his hammer aside and putting a blunt sword back into the forge. It hadn't quite taken the shape yet. "And who are you announcing to? What's the point of hiding out here if you can't keep it down?", Yngvi certainly hated the interruption.His slender, tall figure was like a bright light in that small hut. With skin so pale you could almost see through him, and long silvery hair lying on his back, as straight as a horse's mane. But the frown on his face was the most striking as it sat perfectly snuggled between his sharp features. And of course, the pointy ears. The perfect definition of a snow elf, the noblest among all elves."Oh forget about that Yngvir! We've got trouble!", the brutish man grabbed Yngvi by his shoulders."Don't touch me, you o
From the beginning to the end, I saw it all. All those who had possessed Excalibur, all their lives, their struggles, and their memories poured through me and I could see it like broken flashes. And all the while I was seeing generation after generation of wielders going to war, some losing their lives and some returning triumphant, some whose stories were fulfilling and some who died with regrets, Yngvi was beside me. He too had been watching all those generations of humans. He had thought that if the elves caved in, the war that was rearing its head would die out.Following the years of his death, that may have been true. There was a brief year of peace. But then it began. Wigheard, the first wielder, died fighting too. He was filled with regrets. And he was the one with the most struggles. He lived for some thirty years after Yngvi's death. And he fought brutally in all those years, just so his friend's sacrifice would have some meaning. But he knew, as he stared into the eyes of
"So", Sight said in a decisive way, "So that is how we'll destroy the sword?""Yeah", Grey nodded.They'd apparently come to a conclusion. Their idea wasn't exactly wrong, although a bit off, but not necessarily in the wrong direction. If they could execute it, we would have gotten rid of Arthur. But I had the feeling it won't be so easy, especially since I knew Excalibur was sentient. I should mention that Grey and Sight left me on my own after pulling the sword out. It was as if they only cared about the sword. So I was just lying on the grass beside Silver, in a pool of my own blood. They placed the sword on a stone and Sight did his thing. The air felt heavy and time almost stopped. It was that heavy feeling again. Sight intended to rip the sword to pieces and destroy it so minutely that it would turn to ash. But there was something around the surface of the sword that wouldn't let Sight reach it. The sword was blurred, almost as if it was made of smoke. Sight undid the strange
"We'll exist side by side."He'd said there was a chasm between them, but right then, he thought that there was a void all around them but not even an inch of space between."Even if the world turns to fire, we'll exist side by side."She'd said that with perfect belief and a rigid expression on her face.Grey thought Silver was right. Even when he knew she was dead and he'd lived on like an idiot, as long as even a fragment of her existed in this world, he had to exist side by side with it. "It's futile, Grey", Lancelot said, having caught his breath, "You're no match for all of us."Lancelot pointed his sword towards Grey, who was lying flat on the ground. It started out great. Even with four of the knights against him, Grey had the upper hand. None of them were in top form but the same could be said of Grey. Lancelot swung his long sword and dashed right at Grey. If there was one thing no one in the world could match the knights with, it was swordsmanship. Lancelot, in particula
"Let me see him", he adamantly stood in front of the door that had just been shut on him."You better leave him, Lancelot", Tristan patted his shoulder, with a solemn look on his face."Sir Tristan, I-""Lancelot", Tristan tightened his grip on his shoulder.He needn't say anymore. Looks were telling enough stories in the court. Lancelot knew what everyone was thinking. He couldn't care less if anyone else understood it. But he couldn't bear the thought of having hurt his King's trust. But King Arthur had refused to see him ever since the news got out.Lancelot could see everything deteriorating and he couldn't do anything about it. He knew he needed to see King Arthur though and he'd been trying his utmost to get to him somehow. It came on the morning when all hell broke lose. The news of an attack came in that morning. All out warfare was inevitable now. And then Lancelot finally heard from the King. He had been summoned.It was all a haze to him. He didn't remember how he'd gotten
"It'll all fall apart", Silver said, as Grey faced off against her.Grey has snatched a sword from the storm. It probably belonged to one of the knights. Silver and Grey clashed over and over again and pushed each other back. Even though Excalibur didn't look it, it was still quite strong. "Grey!!", Silver howled before surrounding him in her ice and launching at him. Grey had no trouble parrying her, before undoing the ice and getting out of her way. They went back and forth wounding each other while Sight and I were putting our all in eradicating the curse. I wasn't sure we'd hold out as long as we had, but I was getting a hang of it. I thought we might just be able to do it. I suppose Silver saw that we were making good progress. That spelled trouble for her. Undoing the curse meant undoing Excalibur. And that was death. Silver was going to try her best to get in our way. The biggest obstacle that stood in her way was Grey. Arthur had said earlier that something was preventing
I could hear Sight's breathing as he carried me on his back, treading back towards the camp. I had passed out at some point. Sight and I decided to leave the garden as it is. We didn't think it'd be found anyway.I felt light-headed and hungry. And as Sight was lugging me at his back, the ground seemed so far away, like I was floating in the sky. Sight was quite tall, after all. When I woke up, I wanted to drift back to sleep. But we both knew we'd have to answer some people. And I didn't want to leave Sight alone to do it. So I just waited motionlessly, even though Sight had realized I was awake.Nothing seemed fair to me. Did Grey really have to kill Lancelot and the other knights? Where was Yngvi now? Knowing what Silver was, did Grey really have to die for her? Actually, I think he intended to die even before we set out to find the sword. He had decided on this course of action. So if there was one person who succeeded in achieving their goal, it was Grey.And Arthur. Was it reall
My throat felt sore, and my whole body was burning. Sight lugged me all the way home, but I'd fallen sick on the way, so I didn't remember the journey. I just remembered that I'd been heaving my breath for a long time, and that made my insides hurt.Sight had delivered me to my room, and as luck would have it, Lady herself was nursing me. The only problem with her was that she wouldn't stop talking when I wanted to sleep and wouldn't say a thing when the air was heavy with tension. I would silently just glare at her with my eyes burning, but I bet she was just torturing me."Do you understand why they died? Do you understand, Seraph? Why did Grey and Silver have to die? Have you asked that question? You must ask such questions, Seraph. This is important for people like you. Understand, Seraph?"And of course, she thought I didn't understand what she meant. But I feigned ignorance."People like me?", I barely managed to say this much."Yes!", my rare responses made her excited, "People
I would like to think to myself that this isn't the end. But seeing as her story went back to where it all started, I realized that my role wasn't saving her at all. I just made sure she'd continue to exist, eternally.In eternal suffering and forgetfulness and new encounters and the last times, in every world, she'll continue to exist.As for me, I couldn't bear to live in a world knowing she was somewhere out there, helpless and torn, just as she'd been when I first found her.When did I first find her?Who can say? I had always been talking about how I wished I'd met her sooner. In fact, I had always known her. Our existences were intertwined so much that I don't think either of us could just pull away and be happy all on our own without thinking of the other.After I'd returned Lady's power to her, I floated away in an empty space for an eternity. I was foolish enough to think that the sorrow would fade away one day. But no matter how long and far I floated away, the memory and th
It was the coldest I'd felt in ages, and there was an aching heaviness in my head that I simply couldn't seem to shake off no matter how much I walked. I don't know when, how, or why I was walking through the snow towards the top of some hill I didn't even know.For that matter, I didn't remember who I was, how I'd gotten there, or where I was going.And just like that, before I knew it, I had collapsed in a den of wolves. Luckily, it looked abandoned, so I didn't get eaten off right away. I figured it'd be a long, slow death. I found the idea of such a gentle death appealing, despite the fact that I was walking mindlessly just seconds ago.I must have passed out, for when I came to, I was stiff as a rock. And yet, I wasn't that cold anymore. I lifted my head to find myself covered in a bear pelt. Someone had been so kind as to cover me up. And yet, the pelt was rather old and shoddy. Who cared as long as it could keep me warm?I stood up, looking around, getting accustomed to my surr
"I didn't imagine we'd ever come to a crossroads such as this", I let out a puff of smoke, standing opposite her."But, as a matter of fact, I always had a feeling we would", Lady answered with her signature smirk."Sure, you did", I said sarcastically.It was surprising at first. But things made sense soon enough. Lady had sent all of us away on a mission. She'd isolated herself at Valhalla. Chopper had left of his own accord. She'd sent Sight to look for him. Deli had gone to see her children. And she bid Lubbock and June farewell. She'd even given her fur coat to June. Grim was on a mission, too. And I was looking for Jean V. to deliver her letter.It was all exactly as it had been back then. When I'd return from meeting Jean V., Lady would already be beyond saving. Back then, all I knew was that the person who sent her that blank letter was the one who came to kill her. I never ventured to find out much else.It all made sense now as I stood be
"Must you leave without fulfilling my wish, Seraph?"He had some guts to ask. I looked up at the red sky. There was nothing but barren, burnt land all around us."What else could you ask for?", I looked back at him."You look so old, Seraph", he chuckled, "What exactly did you give the others?"I looked behind me without answering his question. There was no one and nothing."What? It's a long story", I answered without looking at him."We've got time to kill", he grinned."I don't", I said, but went on to answer him anyway, "I gave everyone what they wanted.""Really?"I glared at him, "Yes, really, Grim. I took a fee, of course."He laughed."And what will you take from me?", he asked, grinning.I looked around and then rested my eyes on him."There's really nothing."He seemed to agree."So how'd you manage?""Well, Grim, you could almost call it travelling back through time. Though, it really isn't that. I split the worlds to create new ones. Time doesn't exist for me anymore. Ever
"I will take death in any way and form it comes to me, anywhere and anytime."That had to be the most brazen statement I'd heard. It took me a bit to take that statement in."You really have no special requests? If I can, I'd like to make it up to you", I sat down and stared at his bloodied face.He shook his head."Make up for what?", he asked.He didn't know me yet to call me "boy" but I suppose that's the way it had to be.I had become better at rewriting the reality. I could write quite far back in certain cases. For example, in Sight's case, I made it so he never met Lady and Chopper on the night he killed the prima donna, Czarna Dalia.Before meeting them he didn't know anything about what he'd been doing. He didn't know what an outcast was, even though he himself was an outcast. Ignorance is indeed the greatest of all blisses. And I thought for Sight, it had to be the biggest saving.Lady was right. People who see things differently are the most dangerous of all. Especially tho
"This isn't what I asked for, Seraph", she complained, fixing her glasses on her tiny nose."I don't get what the hell it is that you want exactly, June", I was beginning to get tired."You don't understand at all", she folded her arms."You're damn right, I don't. What kind of crazy a-""One thing.", she looked at me sternly, "One thing I'm asking for is a place to be happy. Not a mother, not a wife, not a hero, not any of the other things you're trying to come up with.""What'll make you happy, exactly?", I folded my arms and leaned against the wall of Valhalla.Everyone else was off to fend the red sky off. June had been left behind in a protective barrier.She fell silent."How about Lady? Isn't she your favorite?""I could care less about her", she answered, bluntly, "I hate her.""Huh?", I wasn't sure I'd her heard her right."She does everything on a whim. She claims to understand everything when rea
"They are waiting for you, Monsieur Lubbock", a dark woman poked her head into the dressing room, "It's almost time for the show."The bajillion young ladies that were powdering his nose scattered away.His face was pink with heat and he wore a long fancy coat. It almost looked odd on his somewhat small figure."I'll be right there", he answered, gussying up in the mirror."Aww, you're leaving already, Monsieur?", some of the girls came up to him.He chuckled modestly."What can I say? The life of the greatest singer in the world isn't so relaxing, my dears.""You might be the greatest singer, but Monsieur is also the life of all women's hearts", one of the cheekier ones commented.Lubbock laughed. He didn't try to hide how much he loved being pampered like this."I'm sorry, girls. My audience awaits!"Saying so, he shot out of the room and hurried towards the stage. Backstage was always heated just before his shows. He was the one star that every theater wanted to have. But he was a
"Do you blame me for mother's death, father?", she asked, placing the empty cup of tea on the little side table.Her father wasn't facing her. He was still locked up in his study, reclining on his chair and looking out of the window at some distance lands.She sat straight, with her back erect. The weight of her gown was enough to tire her but she was made up, as befitting of a noble. She had to look all the more perfect since she was visiting her home for the first time since her marriage."Blame you?", the lord of the house spoke in his grave voice after a while, "I simply don't think you were worth her death. Esme was a wise woman. A level headed, understanding, noble woman."Faye looked at her lap."You refuse to carry out the will of the house of Vlad. You'll go as far as to commit a heinous crime to that end. I'm disappointed beyond measure."Faye pursed her lips. No one but she herself had been hurt the most by what she'd done."Vlad was born to you twice. And yet, you ungratef
"Tell you what, Seraph, this one time, I met a girl and she had these enormous scars all over her arms and legs. I couldn't help noticing her, of course. When she told me she did it herself, I couldn't help it. I killed her then and there", he chuckled to himself, "I didn't want to do it, of course. Something just came over me. It wasn't that she told me she did it herself. It was how she said it. She was smiling.""I'm sure she wasn't smiling because she was happy", I answered, with a solemn look on my face."I'm sure of that too. I was sure of it back then too. That's probably why I killed her. But do you know how many people I've saved?"He looked at my face. I stayed silent."I've saved more people than I've killed. I've been counting since the beginning. I know, for sure, that my atonement is over. At least, it ought to be. But does it look like I'm still repenting?", he asked, smiling vaguely, knowing my answer."You do.""That's because I am. No matter how many I save...the ato