Chapter 10: Homunculi Ritual Arc – Scars of Failure
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Blood flowed on a dank canal path forked between two rows of water. A figure with a lash that from his shoulder across his waist laid staring at the tunnel’s ceiling shivering in pain. The figure’s mask was lost when he came down swimming on the raging canal.
He is still bleeding. A pool of blood gathered behind his back, dripping down the water to his right. The figure was shallowly breathing. His eyes were open, it had a golden luster but yet it was vacant at the same time. The figure was Arden, the False Magus Killer.
The injuries he took were quite deep. His heart got heavily injured. And he has been drained of blood. He was pale and he was only waiting for a sliver of his mana to recover. He was keeping himself alive just by sheer will and fear of death.
His hand was holding his chest. The moment he felt a bit of mana return to his body. He converted it into electricity to defibrillate his heart and gave it a counter shock. His heart pumped forcefully with the shock it was given. It began to pump again but it was still injured. Arden stood up while leaking blood. Turning his body from steel to flesh, he used the mana to repair his heart.
His heart repaired made Arden able to use a sliver of his strength to absorb mana in the air. The sewer wasn’t a great place to do so but still, he did so. A damaged heart could never take in mana. So until he could recover some and convert it to repair his heart Arden won’t survive. That is why with his heart pumping normally and processing both blood and energy he is breathing.
He wasn’t that great in healing outwardly. So in order to seal his wounds, he converted the mana he absorbed into a fire. Using that fire he burnt the wound lash from his shoulder to waist in order to seal it off. The pain was unbearable and it took Arden’s whole willpower just not to scream.
Blood stopped flowing but the being drained liters of blood weakened Arden. He removes his upper clothing and threw it down the raging water canal. He then unequipped the coat on his waist and use it to slight cover his upper body. Putting his left hand on the sewer’s walls he traced the building to see if he can figure out any landmark. Mana ran through the bricks until it crawled up.
He discovered he was near the market. There was a manhole just a few meters away from him. So Arden decided to go there. While walking he felt a bit dizzy. To keep himself up he leaned on the wall. His thoughts ran wild. The face of that smiling noble burned inside his head like a lingering ember.
Arden felt the sound he made as he walks eerie. The failure of being unable to save a life haunts him.
The truth was that he got scared. Six instructors having the title of Knights and five nobles who are close to the rank of knights standing near a six sided platform made Arden incredibly afraid. He thought of himself that he would die saving people.
But when it comes to the real thing his legs went limped.
He stayed in that roof watching that noble girl suffer instead of interfering. Instead of rushing down there and risking his life to help the one that needed it, he watches in the distance waiting for the other nobles to go away. Because he feared that the nobles and instructors will kill him immediately.
Even with the ideals, morals, and principles, he got molded with. He wasn’t able to act upon it with his limited strength. He was too weak and afraid. Heck, to even kill the defenseless instructors and being able to escape that noble lady covered in blood was lucky of him.
He wasn’t able to see that Noble Lady’s face clearly with the blood on her. Plus he wasn’t able to see it with how much he spent his entire mind to dodge her attacks. The attack of that lady was quite swift and each blow rattled his bones.
If it wasn’t for him transmuting his flesh into metal he would have been cleaved in half. Arden remembered the fear clearly. And even though it was hard to accept, it was indeed right for him to wait out. His ideals told him to save that noble girl no matter what it takes. Yet his own thinking, molded by his own foster father and his own fear betrayed him.
He can spout all he wants about wanting to help those who are in trouble. But even so, it won’t change the fact that he wasn’t able to save that smile. He let it suffered before saving it from suffering. His fears held him back and with that Arden felt ashamed.
Arden just doesn’t want to see people suffer and cry in front of his eyes.
He never wants them to be feeling so dead and empty. Just like him who sat emptily staring at the ‘parents’, he forgot out of shock.
He was empty the moment he ‘died’ in that fire.
After that, his only purpose was to help people.
Borrowing the ideals and dreams of a Mage Killer who only wanted to help others yet ended up being a monster.
Arden stops for a while as he reaches the ladder that leads up to streets. He stared emptily at the manhole while tracing down his new scar.
This scar became a reminder to Arden of his failure to save someone.
Arden knew that there will be days that he would face such situation again.
He knows that one day he would find himself standing with enemies far beyond him.
He would be afraid to move.
He would be afraid to act.
But instead of giving up, Arden chooses to chase such tragic dream.
His dream was the only thing that makes him alive.
That is why he could only pursue it tragically.
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Sena had a dream. She dreamt of being the Female Knight that saved her. She dreamt of it obsessively not minding anyone before her. At first, it was an innocent child’s wish but as time passes it became a fanatical objection.
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Sena returned back to where the little girl named Annie was hiding. She was cowering in fear but Sena despite her nobility extended her hand towards her. With a smile that usually doesn’t appear to the stoic Sena. She held the little girl’s hand.
She went to the corpse of the little girl who saved her. The Sister of Anne, the little girl who held a shiv to save her. She saw the Shiv and placed it on her belt.
“What was your sister’s name?”
“Astra...”
“Your sister had a beautiful name...befitting of someone as brave as her.”
Sena smiled wearily. She was a knight to be that was supposed to be battle ready yet here she is trying to contain her tears. She wasn’t truly a knight after all; she could not call herself like that after a little girl was more of a knight than her. Remembering that small yet firm back holding the impossible just to save her made Sena want to dig a hole and put her head into it.
Sena could put her words into it. The blood on her face belonging to that little was still fresh. The scar that runs across her eyelids made it much harder for her today. She lost two things these days. And it hurt her so much. She was a pompous, arrogant fool that thought nothing.
How could she forget about that dream?
She admired that back for its firmness and reliability. As if it was a wall that would protect her from danger. She wanted to become that wall. But she never really thought why she would want to be that wall at the first place. But now Sena vaguely understood.
She wanted to become a wall that protects little children like Astra, who was braver than she could ever be. Sena thought that in order to become that white-mantled female knight she admired. She only needed to get strong. Yet she realized that it was because of that power to protect that the female-knight became such a shining light in the darkness. She always wondered why that figure became that miserable as time goes. She thought to herself that she won’t become like that, daring to tell that she will surpass that knight.
A knight protects.
She remembered that female knight’s goodbye.
It echoed in her mind like a moth drawn in by a lamp.
Sena understood what she was lacking.
“Let’s go Annie...let me take you home.”
“But what about...”
“I am sorry...but at the moment I can only leave her to the knights.”
Sena already contacted the knights guarding the slums to inform them about the situation. Due to the death of the six instructors and a member of the Berg Family, the ritual of mettle was stopped. Sena was able to defeat a spectral knight all by herself while the other nobles that with her failed to do so because the spectral knight became loose. The Knights that were guarding the slums took care of the spectral death knights. Sena was praised for defeating and gaining the essence needed.
Sena could only bow her head and informed the knights about the killer. Hearing her, the knights frowned, their faces turned grim. The Magus killer was not a good name. It was name dreaded by anyone who knew that name. The Knights thought that the magus killer died eight years ago but it seems he has returned. Knowing this the knights decided to silence the slums, eliminate all the witnesses to make sure that the ritual's failure won't spread. Sena was alarmed, and before they could start she begged one of them to be kept alive, telling them that she will hire Annie as her little maid.
The Knights wondered why a noble hire would a little slum girl. But Sena replied that the sister of the little girl she would recruit had a fire in her eyes. If it wasn’t for that girl’s bravery then the spectral knight would have injured her. Hearing this, the knights who acknowledge bravery allowed Annie to live. That is why Sena can only stand by while the people of the slums were being disposed of by the knights.
After letting Astra to be burned in a pyre, Sena took Annie with her. While walking out of the slums she was seen holding the little girl’s hand by the nobles. Though they wondered why a Saclea would do such thing they never asked. None of them was able to kill a spectral knight in time. They could not comment on their own failure and lower their heads.
Sena walked back to her villa along with Annie. Arriving she was greeted by Bruno, who saw his Master covered in blood. He was shocked, that the invincible master of his would be so covered in blood and with a scar on her face. He immediately called the maids to prepare the bath. He then looks at the little girl that was with the noble lady. Sena informed Bruno about Annie. She would be trained as a warrior and a maid. And will be sent to the main house of the Saclea with haste. Sena also told Bruno to have the Shiv she got along with her sword to be mixed, repaired and renamed to none.
Bruno wanted to know why but Sena kept silent and just told him to do so. She will write a letter explaining what happened and why she would want to have her sword become nameless. She intends to rename it as Astra, a reminder of the little girl that stood firm in front of her.
Sena left Annie with Bruno, she went to the bath. Removing her clothes, she went to the shower prepared by the maids and washed her blood filled face. While washing in the bath, Sena broke down. The brave Sena of Saclea broke into pieces, crying, promising to herself that she will let not something like this happened again.
...
The next day, the news of the slaughter on the slums spread. The Six Instructors of the Mesh Academy were killed in a battle with the Mage Killer, who successfully killed the six instructors and one of the Son’s of the House of Berg. Along with it, the proud daughter of Saclea was given fame for mortally wounding the Magus Killer, making the hated Killer retreat.
The Test of Mettle and the Spectral Knights that was released that day never got out to the public.