For hours now, Yuki was sitting on the floor of a cold, damp and moldy prison cell, his back leaned against one of the side walls. The place was so small he couldn’t stretch his legs without touching the opposite side. On the far wall, sitting on the only bench, was his cellmate. He was a skinny, palish and sickly looking man. His eyes, however, revealed vicious zeal and his nasty grin made Yuki feel slightly uncomfortable. Aria was still in his pocket, trying to figure out a plan out of this. The only thing going for them was that nobody seemed to have noticed her presence.

“Hey, boy.” said the man after an eternity of silence. His sudden assertiveness strangely coincided with the guard leaving his post next to their cell. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” the man slipped from the bench down into a squat and leaned over to Yuki, close enough so the boy could smell his foul breath.

“It’s not wise to ignore me. I killed for less, you know. Hhhhhh.” the man's bony hand reached for Yuki’s shoulder. He tried to wiggle away, but couldn’t get farther than the gridded cell doors. The palish man followed, inching closer ever so closer.

“Boy, why don’t we play a game?” Yuki wasn’t actually scared of his skeletal adversary. Annoyed would be a more correct assessment. Aria didn’t send any alarming signals regarding the playful man, so Yuki was at ease. He just needed to avoid getting further in trouble. “The name of the game is…”

“Go away, you are pestering me and I don’t feel like having company right now.” he flicked the man’s nose with the tip of his finger. The pale, sicky man turned even whiter faced with the unexpected turn of events. He stuttered a few times, and just when he was ready to make a threatening comeback, the cell doors opened and the guard outside yelled.

“You! Get up. You are coming with me.” he was pointing at Yuki. “Faster! I don’t have all day.”

The guard led him through the narrow hallway and up the stairs, back to surface level. They walked in silence, Yuki dreading to ask where he was being taken. The surface level of the building was a bit more livelier than what Yuki remembered from earlier this morning when he was taken in. Guards could be seen partoling and exercising outside on the small field. Military officials were going about their business. No one seemed to be bothered by the boy in weird clothes.

“This way.” the guard’s voice was still stern, but didn’t sound angry or agitated anymore. He showed him to a small room with two doors and no windows. They went in and the guard closed the door behind, leaving them in complete darkness. After guard's short mumble, a dim ball of light manifested out of thin air illuminating the room.

“Put this on.” he said, giving Yuki a brown robe. “There is someone who wishes to meet you. We will leave through the other door. Follow closely and try not to act suspiciously.

Yuki hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

“And a fair warning. Don’t try any funny business, neither now, but especially not later.”

_________________________

Yuki was seated on one end of a long, lavishly decorated dining table. There were all kinds of mouth-watering foods and delicacies distributed around the table, even on Yuki’s plate. Stuffed honey-roast quails, venison stew with plums, thinly sliced pieces of purplish meat in dark brown sauce. Everything looked delicious to Yuki, even the purplish meat he wasn’t sure the origin of.

Across him, on the opposite end, seated was a large man with grey, bushy, long hair recklessly tied into a ponytail and an unkept black beard occupying more than half of his face. In the middle of this jungle made of hair were two dark-orange eyes staring at him with a piercing, bestial look.

Standing next to the man Yuki presumed was his host, was a young man, around Yuki’s age. He had a blonde, neatly combed short hair and a boyish face, its skin smooth like baby’s behind. He was wearing a military officer attire and his posture was uptight and stiff. His whole refined appearance contradicted the roughness of the rest of the room which was dark, damp and somehow creaky.

Behind the two men, hanging on the wall was an oversized great axe. The blade and the handle didn't have any form of intricate craftsmanship, rather it was the weapons’ sheer size that demanded admiration and respect.

The whole atmosphere in the room was tense and dreadful. Adding to it were the shadows, created by candlelight, that danced around the large man's furrowed, bearded face, making it even more menacing.

"A human boy." The man finally spoke, revealing his deep, coarse voice that sounded more like a growl.

"Level five. Weak. Walking around Enchanted forest. Traces of slime on his weird, half destroyed clothes. Fairy slime, am I wrong, boy?"

"N-no, sir."

"And you fell for its trap?"

"Y-yes, sir."

The man took a piece of meat off his plate. There were plenty of silver utensils next to the plate, but he bothered with no such things. He threw the meat into his mouth and while still chewing, continued.

"In the past, many brave, foolish heroes fell victim to the fairy slime's trap. Some were famous, others looking for fame. However, none of them were under the level thirty. You see, boy, once you fall for the slime's trap, it becomes very hard to get out."

The man threw another piece of meat into his mouth. He gestured with his hand at the food on Yuki's plate. The tension in the room destroyed any appetite Yuki might have had.

"Thank you, I am n-not hungry r-right now."

"Suit yourself." The man grew more interested in the food after swallowing the first two bites, seemingly forgetting about Yuki. After a few minutes of attentive eating, that felt like hours to some, the large man looked back at his guest, wiping his mouth and beard with the back of his hand.

"Boy." It felt like his voice was penetrating the deepest parts of Yuki's soul.

"Where is your soulmate?"

With everything that happened leading to this moment, Yuki had already assumed he was exposed, but this sudden, direct question, still managed to catch him off guard.

"Nhnmhn." eloquently explained Yuki.

Large man was patiently waiting for a better answer.

"I'm here, I'm here." A voice came from Yuki's chest. From one of the many holes in his shirt, a little floating being came out. The man was observing the duo, looking rather amused.

"Well then, speak. What do you want from us?"

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His brows unfurrowed and his whole face, at least the parts that were visible, lit up. Hidden under the thick beard was a bright smile.

"Har har har har" the man let out a loud and warm, yet somehow terrifying laugh. "A boy from another world and a wisp. Har har har-khm! *cough cough* Khm! How did you plan to go unnoticed?" The man almost choked laughing.

"We were figuring out a plan."

"Ha ha, well then, it's a good thing our paths crossed." Said the large man, visibly amused. "I will help you."

Yuki’s face took on an expression of a blunt surprise, mixed with dull curiosity. This whole evening suddenly took a different direction. He noticed the blonde boy awkwardly fidgeting and grimacing. Perhaps he didn’t expect events to unfold like this as well. But, it was still too soon to say. Maybe this was all just a morbid form of entertainment for their host.

"And why would you help us? It's hard to believe you would help us out of the kindness of your heart." Seems like Aria had the same idea.

"Har har har. Relax, both of you. First, introductions are in order. My name is Adam and I run this dump of a city. It’s not much, but it’s mine." Orfurt was located inside the kingdom of Aris but retained its independence largely thanks to this man. He was a beloved leader and a cold-blooded monster on the battlefield. Aria heard of him and his feats, but thought the stories were exaggerated. Now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

“This peepsqueak here is Joseph. He is my personal guard. Bahahaha.” everyone saw the irony. Joseph, seemingly unmoved, glanced at the soulmate duo with a stiff nod. Adam looked at his guests in expectation.

"Yes, my name is Aria and this here..."

“My name is Yuki.” the boy interjected, standing up on his feet. “Muramasa Yuki. Muramasa being my family name and Yuki being my given name.”

Adam sat silent for a moment, looking at the boy. Then he pounded his fist on the table and let out a loud "Haaahaa!"

"Yuki!” the large man continued. “A good name. Unusual for a hero from another world, but we live in strange times. As you will soon find out. But I like your spirit, Yuki boy."

“Thank you sir!” Yuki's arms were tightly fixed to his sides and his chin so high it almost made Aria burst with laughter.

“Stop acting so tense Yuki boy, you are not Joseph. Sit down and eat. Don't insult my hospitality.”

Yuki couldn’t resist anymore. As the tense atmosphere let up, hunger took over. He started with a modest piece of honey-roasted quail, but soon continued with everything else in his reach, modesty nowhere in sight. Seeing the boy eat got Adam’s appetite worked up again so he happily joined in, praising the boy’s appetite.

As the day went on, Aria told them about their adventure in the Enchanted forest, much to Adam’s entertainment. Even the stoic Joseph let out what was supposed to be a light chuckle.

“So you have to save your princess from her curse. HAH! I’ve always had a soft spot for stories like this. Joseph, take the boy to the storage and provide him with the equipment he needs for the adventure. And did you have that sword cleaned up like I told you to?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Good. Go on, scram.”

Joseph walked up to double doors that led out to the main hall. He looked over to the still seated Yuki. “Shall we?”

Yuki glanced at Aria. “Are you going to be alright?”

“I’ve seen worse. Go, we need that equipment.”

_________________________

After Yuki and Joseph left the room, a short silence ensued where two remaining people just stared at each other.

Adam broke the stalemate first. "Your reputation precedes you Aria Lunaris."

"I can say the same for you, Adam the Beast."

"Har har har, I’m flattered you’ve heard of me, princess. But I am just an old man waiting to be dethroned. The only thing that enabled me to stay on it for this long was this town's complete strategic and political insignificance.” Adam paused, ruffling his beard. “But you already knew this. That’s why you chose this place, am I wrong, princess?”

“On the contrary, right on point.” Aria answered.

“Yet you made a slight miscalculation. The enchanted forest is under my guard. I roam it, especially during the full moon.” Adam made a toothy grin, revealing a pair of long, beastly fangs under his moustache.

Aria was taken by surprise. If she had a face, it would be as white as chalk. “I-I thought those stories were exaggerations.”

“Ha ha ha ha! So I lived long enough to have, what people feared about me, turned into a whimsical tale.” he pounded his fist on the table, again. “That’s fine. This world sure has changed. And it’s changing again.”

Adam looked at the wisp, dead serious.

"You know He is hot on your heels. His spies are everywhere. With every new territory he conquers his influence grows. You don't have much time. How much does Yuki know?

“Not much. I was hoping to avoid telling him...”

“...And make him break the Curse the other way.” Adam finished Aria’s sentence. “An unlikely story. The curse is not the biggest problem here. You will put both of you in more trouble if he doesn’t know your story. And he of all people should know it.”

“Yeah, you are probably right.” Aria paused, thinking. “Adam, you know you are putting yourself in danger by helping us. Especially if what you say is true and He has spies everywhere. Why are you doing this?”

The large man leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard. He sat there for a good minute, silent, lost in his memories. Aria knew when she had to patiently wait.

“You know Aria Lunaris, I lived for a long time. Some parts of my life I don’t even remember. Probably for the best. But there is one part, one fleeting moment under the endless skies, one story my life wrote that I will never forget.” he smiled. “That part taught me to recognize true honesty and valiance, even if there is not more than a spark of it. I saw that spark during your clumsy fight back in the forest. That spark has the potential to turn into the brightest, most magnificent flame.”

Aria was taken aback by these words. She didn’t expect to hear something so...syrupy. If she had a face, she would have trouble keeping it serious.

“That’s why I am helping you.” he finished solemnly.

“Then I must thank you honestly.” she answered in the same manner.

“Oh right, I almost forgot.” Adam grunted in his usual manner. “The sword.”

___________________

When they were done talking it was already night. Equipped with new gear and clothes, and well, new wisdom, they set out to their next adventure.

Back in the dining room, Adam was standing, leaned over the table, looking at a certain map. Joseph was standing close behind him, quietly like usual.

“Joseph.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“How many times must I tell you to stop addressing me with that silly title? Hrgmm, nevermind that’s not important now. Joseph, you have two choices now. You can choose to go back to your home or you can choose to do something worthwhile.”

“Yes. I will stay here. That is my choice.”

“No. You will leave. And as your lord I will order you if you won’t listen to me as your friend. You have the spark Joseph. Don’t waste it. Choose wisely.”

Joseph didn’t like when his Lord spoke in weird analogies. He liked even less the idea of leaving him behind with what was to soon ensue here. Arguing with Adam, however, was completely futile. Joseph just nodded his head in consent and went back to his silent contemplation.

Epilogue

The whole town was burning a bright red color. Soldier’s lifeless bodies lay everywhere. There was no screaming, no calling for help. The only sound was that of fire. The army that ransacked the town was already leaving. Among the burning ruins only two men were left, coated in shadows. One of them, even though kneeling, matched the height of the other one, still standing. Their fight seemed to just have ended.

The kneeling man was breathing heavily with several open wounds testifying to a bitter struggle during the fight. A new fire broke out nearby, bringing the man fully into light. He resembled a beast more than a man. His head and neck, like his shirtless chest and arms, was covered in fur but he had long grey, human hair. His face also retained some human resemblances, but his bright orange eyes further attested to his other nature.

"Hrrrrr, hrrrrrr." *cough* "You won't be able to stop them. You should know that!" the beastly man growled.

His adversary, dressed in elaborate black armor, stood still. His sword hung loose from his arm, its blade emitting a black aura. When he spoke, it seemed like the fire burning throughout the city spoke with him in unison.

“I will not only stop them. I will end them. I will finish what I started. And you, Adam the Beast, can’t do anything about that.” The words seared through Adam’s ears, all the way into his brain and it felt like his head was melting.

“Raaaaaurgghh” he let out a painful scream. “Hah, hah...True, I can’t do anything for them. My time has long passed. And this is their story. Hah, hah... Now, enough talk. You will grant me my wish.”

In one last, fell swoop, Adam jumped forward, his fangs ready to rip apart at least the enemy’s armor. The black knight didn’t move an inch. He raised his free hand, and with a simple sweep, he sent the beast flying into a nearby wall. Adam fell to the ground with a thud.

“Not yet. Killing valuable prisoners would be unwise.” The man's voice was normal, albeit a bit tired.