With the help of the arrow's brighter color I locked onto the tree that was just over the heads of our enemies.

As soon as Mikah’s 3rd finger went down, I dove into the darkness around us and came out next to my arrow.

It was easy to see my target from this angle. I held the wet cloth over their fire and as I was about to let go, I could feel a chill going down my spine. I looked to my left to see or rather felt like I saw a dark face with 2 hollow, gaping black holes instead of eyes.

The eyes looked at me and blood started gushing out. The figure tilted its head and got closer to me. I reflexively tried to back off a little, but I lost my balance and started falling towards the ground next to the group of pirates.

It all went by too quickly but I somehow managed to throw the cloth at the fire and dive into a shadow that was cast by the remnants of the fire

“Wh… ho ….. th..e” The vague voices I assumed to belong to the pirates said.

I lay on the ground as my head was spinning and my ears felt as if they were clogged by something. It felt like my stomach was about to eject itself.

The voices around me started to become a little clearer and in my blurry vision, the same imaginary figure appeared to be peering down on me from above.

I got lost in the endless nothingness of its eyes before Mikah’s voice pulled me back “Lad, wake up, ya need ta catch the runaway!” He yelled. I waved my hand at the figure’s face and got up to my feet.

It was incredibly dark but I could see someone holding a brown leather bag on his shoulder, running towards me.

I was about to stand up when there was an explosion of flames behind the man. I pulled out a knife from the chest holster that we received with the scout’s outfit, it was clear that the pirate was in too much of a rush to notice me.

I waited on the ground and slashed at his left heel as he passed by me and the man and the bag both dropped to the floor.

“Agh!” “Mmph!” They both groaned.

I got up to my feet and walked towards the pirate.

The man flipped to his back and put his hands in front of him “W-wait! I was just hired by those guys! I’m a mercenary from the south, please just let me go!”

I don’t really want to kill him anyway… I’m sure Mikah would want to interrogate this guy.

I walked past him and started undoing the knot on the leather bag.

“Lifes! Watch out!” The prince suddenly yelled and pushed me to the side.

I threw my knife at the pirate’s throat and used the momentum of falling backwards to kick his hand as he was about to stab the prince through the chest.

I managed to kick his hand away but forcing that kick made me fall on my back and my head forcefully hit the ground which hurt a lot.

I got up to my feet too quickly and my aching head was now spinning as well.

The stupid prince just blankly stared into space as I grabbed the collar of his scout hood.

“What the fuck are you doing?! Why would you try to get stabbed?”

“N-no but I-”

“You what? You thought I needed your help? That the infamous assassin would turn his back on some retarted pirate who pretends to have a moral epiphany?”

“Wait but… I just wanted to help you…” Red-hair said.

“Help…? The royal prince?! To his slave?! Aren’t you the most virtuous sinner in the world… Fucking ridiculous.”

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Red-hair lowered his head and grit his teeth “I guess he’s dead because of me…” He added.

My head was hurting and I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my chest. It gave me this sense of urgency that couldn’t be satiated, I couldn’t help wanting to scream. How could he blame me for the guy’s death? “Would you stop calling me a murderer already?!” I mumbled quietly.

“Lifes! I didn-”

“Right then lads, cease the fighting aye? We have 2 prisoners, 2 escapees and 1 dead. We’re heading back to the fort.”

After Mikah finished talking, a sense of dread started creeping up to my chest. I stared at the lifeless body of the man. He had long brown hair and some of it was braided on the side, his lifeless, green eyes were still open, there was something enticing about his current state.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of these useless thoughts.

We helped the young lady return to Edgetown and started riding back to Guardian with the prisoners on the back of mine and Mikah’s horses.

As we arrived at the gate, I remembered something I was curious about earlier “Mik- Captain, how did you know the arm belonged to a pirate?”

He looked back at me with a puzzled expression “Hm? Ahh ya talking about Edgetown aye? Well lad, I told ya lot before I was a proud little shite aye?”

“You mean during the orange dust attack?”

“Aye. Well ya see lad, I wasn’t exactly a soldier at the time. I was actually a part of a crew called the Loitering Spheres…” His gaze turned a little somber as his voice trailed off.

“By Loitering Spheres you mean-”

“Aye, seems like the young prince has heard of the bastards.”

“How could I n-” He looked at me and I raised a brow in response.

“Wait, Lifes, you seriously don’t know who they are?”

“Why would I know about some random pirates, I only know about things I care about… The sea is more scary than interesting.”

“Random?!” He sighed and squeezed his nose bridge with 2 fingers.

“Bahahaha! That’s some statement to say in front of a former pirate aye?”

Mikah got off his horse and handed the reins to the stable boy who approached as we entered the fortress city.

One of the guards also took the prisoners and walked off towards the tower west of the scout’s main camp.

“Regardless of the coward lad’s knowledge, them Loiters were infamous enough to found an autonomous zone in the south east.

Back then, I was captured next to Guardian, ah it was actually still a small town named Florence at the time, aye? I was held here until that accursed day came.” He ground his teeth and closed his eyes as he sat down on a wet, wooden bench that was close to the scout’s camp.

Both me and the prince stood and looked at him in anticipation.

“If there’s one thung I’d like ta forget about that day, it is this feeling. I tell ya this, ya might be the strongest ant in the colony, but even a child could squish an ant, aye?”

His clenched fists were shaking.

“When ya fear something so deeply that yar body is just a doll ta be played with. That’s when ya understand just how small ya are.”

He sighed heavily and let his head fall backwards, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as the story continued and I remembered our first meeting with the captain. Was that his memory of the orange dust?

“The knight in charge of Florence’s guard did not expect the attack, can ya blame him? The man was an honorable knight, but he lost his life to save a snotty little bastard who was too scared ta move.”

He closed his eyes and kept going “The snotty brat then becomes a dishonorable scout, ain’t that ironic, aye? Bahaha… Whata joke this life is, aye? The sinner gets ta live a fulfilling, happy life and the saint dies a miserable death at the hands of a dastardly bastard.”

I could feel the air get sucked out of my lungs, as if I got punched in the gut.

“Lifes are you alright? You seem pale…” The prince said.

“Why how perceptive of you… Can I head to the tent now, captain?”

“Ya lot will have the rest of the day for yarselves, the scouts will go ta deal with those bastads at the south-east once the royal knight arrives.” He said.

I quickly started walking away before a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

“Li-” The prince was about to say something but when he looked at my face his expression reverted back to the one he had on for the past week or so.

I pushed my shoulder forward to free it from his hand and kept walking.

My head was hurting and I felt like shit, it was a miserable experience every single time. Unfortunately Mikah’s story hit a little too close to home for me.

I lay in bed and tried to forget about this conversation and today’s unfortunate events at the forest.

Thankfully this day was exhausting enough… My mind that was constantly fighting itself started drifting off as my eyes felt heavy.

It was still very early in the day to sleep but I guess here’s to a dreamless night, I swallowed the lump in my throat.