"What do you know about my father", Alice interrupted.
"Well, let me think— oh yeah— that's none of your business. You'll die here so don't worry, it's not something you should pry on. Just stay still and patiently wait for death, yeah", he smiled.
"I bet you got those laughs and evil grins from your father", Alice blurted, trying to regain her morale.
"Don't you dare compare me with my stupid father", Nicolas angrily bellowed as his smile shifted to a frown, then to anguish.
"What's happening here", a man shouted from behind, getting both of his attention and Alice's. He looked mostly at his late 50's. White hairs are prevalent on his head, no beard, a plain old man standing courageously at his feet, proud and calm. "Stand down, young man", he added. At his back are dozens of men, each with their own soul reflections active. Most are swords and the remaining four hold a bow.
"Who the hell are you", Nicolas faced them.
"No, boy, who are you", he threw the question back all while he took notice of Nick's sword. His eyes went wide, "It can't be, a reaper?", he thought, while most of his men could not contain theirs.
"Reaper?", Nicolas was confused. Who is that man, Who are these people.
"Surely you heard the prophecy somewhere or somehow", the man explained before calmly calling Alice. "Come here, Alice."
Nicolas watched them do the talking as he tried to formulate an escape plan, but so far, none is viable. He either slips and dies or is a practice target and faces the same fate. His forehead is sweating from the fact that he'll die either way.
"I can't possibly face them all at the same time", he thought.
"What should we do about him, uncle?", Alice asked as she finally stepped into safety.
"You know what our mission is, young lady."
"Yes, but to me, he's just confused, as if he knows nothing. Just earlier, he asked me about—"
"That doesn't change a thing. FORWARD", he ordered his men, pushing Nicolas to the boulder Alice was standing on just a moment ago, their footsteps muffled by the ankle-deep water. "Do you know who you are, boy?", asked the man.
Something echoed at the back of Nicolas's mind—the words of his father. "Who are you, Tell me who are."He knows it's not the same question but to him, it reverberated inside him, making the same noise.
"What are you talking about?", he asked, remembering the words of the archer he and Hunter met at the cave.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"That blue sword of yours, or more precisely, your soul. The heavy feeling that it emits suggests that you are a reaper. Probably you are also the source of the heavy feeling we felt a few days ago. We have always been anxious since that day but although it's unusual for a reaper to have a physical body, that does not remove the fact that you can be used for his resurrection."
"Resurrection of Duncuel— what are you planning to do to me?"
"You've done your research; well played", the man smiled. "Our ancestors have sworn to protect the world; we, the children of the light, will do anything to fulfill our mission, even if it costs bloodshed."
"No, uncle, wait", Alice tried to stop them but it was once again in vain.
They showered Nick with all their forces. Arrows came raining down towards him while the vanguards prepared to do the second wave of attack. Nicolas was still confused. All he could hear was the beating of his heart and the water down below, both adding to his fear.
"It would have been easy if it's one bow at a time but this is way too much", he panicked as he closed his eyes and stretched his sword above his head while betting everything to it to at least save his life. He wished to survive from this mess he's on.
"I can't die just yet, not until I bring justice to Arthur and Alisa's death. Not until I kill that man", he thought.
He wishes at least to have an umbrella for the storm he's in, despite the fact that he's standing against a hurricane. He anticipated his body getting pierced from head to toe. His body bleeding as it cried and ached from each cut and hole. The burning sensation and the flow of blood as he lay weakly at the wet and slippery boulder he's on while slowly slipping down the raging water down below.
He opened his eyes to a bright blue light covering him. To his surprise, his nightmare never came. None of the arrows had reached him while the enemy's stunned faces are fixated at his cover. There he stood under not an umbrella but a shield, protecting him from the sharp arrows that were meant for his head. He did not understand what's happening but it's enough for him. At the very least, he survived. No other thing is important.
"He's soul changed shape?", the man uttered, stepping back in shock, his eyes wide and perplexed. He was unsure whether to adore it or tremble in fear.
Alice could only stare at him, bearing the same reaction as his.
"I don't know what happened but who cares, I survived", Nicolas thought as he scanned everyone's faces while at the same time looking down at what could be waiting for him down below. "Let's just hope that's deep enough", His thoughts slipped out.
Alice panned her vision towards him upon hearing what he said. "DON'T, YOU WON'T MAKE IT", she shouted as her legs started to run without a thought. Nicolas faintly smiled at her, released his soul's reflection then jumped without any second thoughts.
It was a long way down, and by the time he met the water, he immediately sank into the river floor. It was too deep and swimming upward was torture. The undercurrent did not help, and the falling water is no different.
"It seemed like a great idea at first", he thought as his breath began to deplete. "This is bad", he tried to scream but all that came out was a gargle as he felt his consciousness and strength failing him.
"The hell, my pathetic life is flashing before my eyes. All of this for nothing,", he tried to laugh as he remembered the reason he's here in the first place but he was once again met with a constricting feeling in his chest.
"I'm sorry, mother, but I guess this is not half bad", he could only smile bitterly as he accepted his fate, "Alisa, I'll be joining you soon", it was his final thoughts as his consciousness, dulled by the unforgiving current of the river, drifted into his past, replaying it for the last time as his imminent death crept by.