"KIKIKIKIOOOOOOOOOOOOOORGH!!!"
Keh, I’m running once again, huh.
Running, running, and more running…that’s what I’ve been doing ever since I can remember.
My parents and I would just go from place to place without looking back.
From small fishing villages in the outskirts of a certain island in the east, to the big cities of the mainland.
Never stopping.
Always moving.
Staying at the same place for a long time was always out of the question.
Keh…it really was a pain.
Hiding our faces, using fake names, not interacting much with others…all of it.
I never had any friends because of that too.
But…
'…why would I bond with someone when I’m just going to leave like any other time? It’s not worth it.'
That is what I thought at the time.
My parents…those two…keke…they always told me to at least try and make some, that I just needed to be careful. But then I would call them hypocrites because they did not make any friends either.
They’d always show me a worried expression when I answered with that...but they also stayed silent because it was the truth.
And now that I think about it…my skills…
I couldn’t create bonds with others, so I got skills to connect with others.
Keke...what good joke of the Goddess!
Hilarious.
Anyways, I was still a dumb brat back then.
I didn’t understand why we moved so much, let alone why we took all those risky routes and even crossed continents, all while refusing anyone who tried to help along the way.
Just…why?
Kekeke...of course, I got tired of that crap.
So I decided to be a little shit about it and started asking why all day long.
I would just ask again, and again, and again.
And every time I asked, they’d just give me that worried look, never an answer.
I got tired of that too.
So tired that I...stopped talking to them out of spite and if I did talk to them, I would only spew the worst kind of things at them.
So much venom would come out of that mouth of mine that I would gladly punch myself now.
Keh! Dad did that when I made Mom cry that one time.
And I deserved it alright…
But back then I got so angry that I simply escaped into the city we were living in for the time being.
I knew that we had to move again in a few days, and I did not care.
I did not care so much that I intentionally lost myself in that city.
Kekeke, I was so lost that I had to resort to steal to get food.
That is…until my Mom found me.
She was truly worried to say the least, so much so that it was clear that she had been crying for days...
...I really want to punch my past self...
And yet, even after seeing her like that, I refused to go with her until she told me why.
'Why is it that we’re moving?!'
'Why can't we have normal lives?!'
Until she answered the questions that I shouted at her…
She knew that if she wasn't honest, I would simply run away once again and so...she pulled it out.
Something that was wrapped in a beige cloth and tied with a golden string.
She untied the string and showed me what was inside the cloth.
That beautiful red sheath with prismatic waves all over it.
'This is why...our family's legacy...our responsibility...our inheritance...your inheritance.'
She said that between sobs...
She then got close to me and whispered the rest.
Someone from our family tried to do something...something unforgivable with it…
And because of that, someone wanted it and was hunting us.
When I asked her what did we do...she said she didn't know…
I would've called bullshit on that...on all of that...but her shaky voice was anything but bullshit…
I gave up then and went back ‘home’ with her.
I was an idiot.
I fucking hate myself for forcing my mom to do that in such place.
Exposing that in the middle of the city...they obviously caught our scent there...
I surely would have...
I should have known! But I didn't, because I was a brat!
We left that city and found a small remote village after traveling on foot for some time.
Nice.
Calm.
And it had plenty of rivers to fish on.
The only thing that bothered me were a couple of brats. They would always say that my face didn't look like that of someone who likes fishing.
Keh! Do I need to look like an old man or something?!
Still, even if those brats were annoying, that was the only bad thing.
Really, those weeks we spent there were…good.
We even managed to laugh together without any annoying remarks coming out of my mouth.
I was bonding with them.
One day, I…I was fishing with my dad when I just asked him if he had ever unsheathed that sword.
I don't know why I asked him that, but I blurted it out and that is a fact.
I remember that he was surprised for a moment, but then he spat on the ground and shook his head.
That is what he would always do when he was frustrated.
But instead of staying silent after that, he actually told me.
'No. Never could. Never will. Nor your Mother, nor her Mother and the one before. That thing thinks we are cowards…and more than unworthy. And maybe that is what we are. But what can we do? Whatever was done…was done and those bastards are unrelenting...too strong...running is the only thing we can do.'
He then realized that he was saying more than he wanted and simply shut up.
I wanted to know who those 'bastards' were but didn't ask.
Lucky for me...shit happens.
Unlucky for me...shit happens.
That day I stayed there, fishing well into the night.
I should have realized that something was wrong back when Mom didn't come to get me.
But I…didn’t.
So I just returned home when I got hungry.
And when I did…I found the door wide open and the magical torches off...
That is when I finally realized that something was wrong...
I got in and...there was blood...and it just took a little glance to the side to see who’s blood was.
It was…my dad's...
He…he was lying there with multiple holes in his body...
Almost as if something the size of a fist had pierced him repeatedly everywhere…
And he…he was dead...
I wanted to scream but my survival instincts kicked in and shut me up.
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But my eyes kept looking at him...
The only expression on his face was one of worry...
I remember wondering if that worry was for me, but then it hit me...if my dad was there then...where was my mom?
I still couldn’t move due to the shock, but I didn’t need to move to find where she was, because as soon as my eyes fell on the closed door of their room, I heard a voice coming out from it…
"The Guild demands it, child. Give us the Knight's legacy, for you do not deserve it. You are not worthy. Just as you are not worthy of your name."
That voice...that damn voice!!
So full of himself...so full of whatever thing he believed in...
He killed her after saying that...he must have realized that he wouldn't be getting anything from her...
Then the door creaked open, and I saw his bloody hand coming out of it...
I panicked...
I fucking panicked...
I don't know why or how, but when I realized I had grabbed the heirloom from where it was hidden and leapt out of the window...
I ran and ran and ran.
I ran until my feet were bleeding.
I ran even more after that.
I only stopped when my body gave out.
Keh…I was lucky to not be eaten by some beast or some monster then.
In hindsight...maybe the heirloom had something to do with that...
But back then it did not matter.
I never looked back.
I locked off these memories inside my mind, discarded my name, and I simply kept running.
Even then...the guilt I felt...the disgust I felt for myself was still there...
My idiocy killed my parents.
I killed my parents.
I abandoned them.
That is burned into my mind.
Yet I tried to run away from that too...I can't even remember their faces now...
That fear…twisted my path...
I didn’t want to die...I didn’t want to look behind me...
I was afraid…
Afraid of them.
The Guild.
My Parents.
My name.
Death.
So, I kept running, I entered cities, towns, villages, I even lived in a cave once...
I stole.
I lied.
I disappointed.
All so that I could keep moving.
It was a shitty life.
But I was doing a good job because The Guild was not able to find me...maybe because they expected me to live like my parents...small houses...temporary jobs...
Not being some thief who slept on the streets, under bridges, tents and so on...
It got to the point that I thought that I was free of them...that maybe I could try doing something different.
Maybe something less shitty.
Decent.
Honorable even.
So, I picked one of the farthest countries in the continent I was in and went to its capital.
Keh…that was just me thinking that if I was going to do it, then why not go big while I was at it, right?
Maybe use what I learned through everything in other ways.
But as always with my life...
Shit happened...again.
I should have expected that.
Tried to be a guard...got almost framed and killed for a crime I did not commit...
One that I wanted to wholeheartedly stop!
But maybe that saying is true and our eyes reflect the kind of life we have led, because that fucking Count pounced at me the second he saw me…
Trashy eyes…like those of a stray dog…I hate that bastard, but he knew…
And then it was either death or work for him.
I, of course, started working for him.
That time of my life was full of shit, shit, shit aaand more shit.
All of it was shit.
There was even a point where I was close to thinking of my codename as my real name...
Of course, even more things happened after that...
Illumbee Village...
Got turned into a woman...
Master Auros...
The Goddess...
M-magical G-girls....
Kris' terrifying 'training'...
Suffering...all that suffering...
But it hasn’t been that bad.
Got revenge, got a place to call home, a person whom I can count on...no...many people now...
Keke...really...to think that my life needed that drastic of a shift to get better...
Life really has a twisted sense humor, right? Just like the Goddess, kekeke.
It is ironic too! After all, I’m running right now.
I’m running towards a thing called Grand Monster.
The Bone Legion.
I’m running while I can barely hold back my feelings.
Just like that time, but instead of fear pushing me, it is something else, something good.
Ke...I’m almost crying as I pass those who have come to trust me...
I am their comrade.
A shitty person like me is being trusted with something so important...
Keh...I was even found worthy by this bloody thing in my hand...
So, I run.
As always.
"KIKIKIKROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORG!!"
But now, I am done running away.
"Keh! No matter what you throw at me!! You are going down bony!!"
Now I am running forward!
No matter how many scary barbed bones you throw at me!
Why?!
"...[WATER BLAST]!"
"...[LIGHTNING BLAST]!"
"KIKIKIKIKIROOOOOOOOUUUOOOORRG!!!"
Because I've got comrades covering me now!!
And I’m not stopping!
I’ll kick the ground and jump as hard as I can just to get at that ugly face of yours!!
"HERE IT GOES!!"
And I’ll get this thing, my heirloom, my inheritance, my curse, my blessing...right in the middle of it!!
Fuck my fear of heights!
Time to unsheathe this rainbow sword and unleash its power! And for that I guess I’ll just focus on it and the chant will come to—?!
*♫♪♫♪*
Wait…that song! THAT DAMN CUTE SONG! WHY IS IT PLAYING IN MY HEAD RIGHT NOW?!
No way…
GODDESS, YOU KNEW ALL ALONG?!!
WHY...!? WHY IS THAT SONG THE CHANT...?!!
Nnnnaahhh…I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!!
COVER ME IN ALL THOSE COLORS!! GIVE ME SHINY WINGS!!
TURN MY OUTFIT INTO A FRILLY RAINBOW COLORED ONE!!
TURN ME INTO A MAGICAL GIRL OR WHATEVER!
I DON'T CARE!
"BRING COLORS TO THE WORLD, END EVIL WITH WARM REDS AND CALMING BLUES! PURIFY THE CURSED WITH WHITES AND YELLOWS THAT BRING PEACE!! GREENS THAT MAKE ONE SMILE IN HOPE AND PURPLES THAT BRING GOOD LUCK!! BRING DOWN THE RAINBOW OF THE PUREST FORM OF LIFE!! BRING THE LOVE!! PRISMA!! QUARTZ!! RAINBOW!!"
*CLICK*
*FFFFZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN*
“…!!”
Mom, I did it!
It’s out…!
This rainbow-colored blade…
Dad, it’s beautiful!
Mom. Dad. This is for you.
I am sorry.
Please, look at me now.
This is for you.
I love you.
Thank you.
"...[MAGICAAAAAAL COLORFUUUUUL RAINBOOOW THRUUUUST]!!!!!!"
*KEEER-TUNNK*
*CRACRACRACRACRACRA-CRAAAAACK*
"KKIKIKKIKIKKIKKIKIKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
*FFFFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN*
"KEKEKEKE!! EAT MY RAINBOW YOU BONY PAIN IN THE ASS!!!"
"KIKIKIKIKOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUURRRGH—!"
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHH*
YES, DESINTEGRATE AND DISSAPEAR LIKE THAT!
YOU SEE THAT?!
I’M FINE DAD!
I’M MORE THAN FINE MOM!!
YOU CAN STOP BEING WORRIED!!
"LISTEN WELL AND BURN IT INTO YOUR MIND!! I AM SOPHIE KALPHAR!!!!! A KNIGHT!! A KNIGHT OF THE EVER-BURNING WILL!!!!"
AND I’M NO LONGER AFRAID!
NOT OF MY NAME!
NOT OF WHAT HAPPENED!
AND NOT OF YOU! YOU GUILD BASTARD!!
I’M NOT HIDING ANYMORE!!
"THAT IS WHO I AM!! SO HELLO EVERYONE!!! HELLO ARTE!!!"
____________________________________
And so, the Bone Legion disappeared in a massive flash of prismatic light, one that filled the hearts of everyone with warmth and created smiles all over the battlefield.
Indeed, they all felt their hearts being filled with such colorful emotions.
Thus, that night…that battle would come to be remembered as ‘The Battle of the Rainbow Moon’, for a rainbow not only appeared in the battlefield, but also in the sky where the full moon had suddenly appeared.
That night the kids of the Kingdom watched in awe to the once in a lifetime spectacle that appeared up in the sky. Their parents on the other hand, felt something past awe, past marvel, past sublimity, they felt hope.
A hope they had never felt before.
That night a battle started against the forces that easily razed countries.
That night a battle ended with those same forces completely defeated.
That night was one of monsters that defied comprehension and those who beat them.
Knights dressed in clothes of servitude led by a woman worthy of being called a Queen of Queens, a King of Kings, a Regent of Regents, one who struck down even the strongest of the world's foes.
They were maids, yes, but their feats made it clear that they were more, that they were worthy of more.
Worthy more than anyone of being called Knights.
The Knights that held the line and fought against an unending sea of enemies.
The Knight who faced a mountain alone and took its arm.
The Knight who unleashed a warm and beautiful rainbow as she destroyed an undead calamity.
The Knight who fought against the incarnation of unending cold and won, doing so without anyone but a few knowing that it happened right under their noses.
And the Master of such Knights who fought against the strongest of enemies and returned with only a faint scratch in her armor.
"Maid-Knights…mhm! It has a nice ring to it~~!"
With that, the Head of the Church bestowed them with such a name as the camp for the night was being prepared.
Those who fought beside them and saw as a single maid ran towards the monster.
Those who were healed by them.
Those who were protected by them.
They all agreed.
They truly seemed like those who would take care of everyone and clean the mess that the war had turned into. Leading everyone to a different path. One that would lead to a new and glorious future.
Nurturing the world just like a loyal maid nurtures their Master.
Word quickly spread after that thanks to the people of other countries who were there and those who watched from afar, piquing the interest of many.
No…not just their interest, they had their full attention now.
From Emperors to Demon Kings and more.
Some desired that power and wanted it to be brought into their borders, for they would rightfully point it into the most righteous direction.
Some took it as the start of another age of legend, of their prayers having been answered, and they were grateful.
And others, like those who threatened Arte, knew that their time as unopposed forces had come to an end.
But that is a story for another time. After all, when a battle ends there is clean-up to do and celebrations to be had.
________________________________________________
Then again…we cannot move on without addressing a certain group who had been watching the battle from the very beginning, all from somewhere so hidden that it might as well be a place that does not exist and through a spell powerful enough to reach the Kyrie Kingdom while transmitting everything in great detail.
Yes, a group so hidden that all who know of it are either part of it or are dead.
The only exception being…the boy who ran away.
“Now this is very, very interesting. Not only has the Knight’s Legacy found someone worthy, someone who is not from the Guild, but a girl who names herself Kalphar! Hahahaha! Oh my dear, dear friend, have the years already taken a toll on your sight to the point that you mistook her for a boy? After all, we both know that there is only one person left in this world who carries the blood of that Knight. The blood they dirtied.”
So said a…hooded person whose face was hidden behind an eyeless and mouthless wooden mask and whose voice was always changing, and they did so while turning to the person who was with them.
“...so you have stopped running, child. No…Sophie Kalphar.”
An old man who ignored such remark and stared at the face of the colorfully dressed girl showed in the spell as he said that.
“Heh, I have a good feeling that we will be seeing more of her, her friends, and her interesting Master when we send our regards to the blind Head of the Church, for we cannot overlook her failures as such.”
Thus, a night full of color and hope had the tinge of something dark brewing under it.
To be continued...(cue illustration of Sophie screaming her lungs out while destroying the Bone Legion in a great and magical prismatic flash!!) (Soundtrack of this chapter: Kekkai Sensen first opening! Or the one of your choice, of course!)