Lyon POV:
I stared at the ceiling as I replayed the scene of my dad performing the Sea Dance. His movements were majestic, alternating between a quiet calmness and a sudden forcefulness; yet it still looked natural.
My eyes narrowed while I focused even harder. I took note of the subtle changes to his form—the motion of his arms and legs, the direction his body was facing, but it was too much.
‘...’
Whenever I thought I grasped the rhythm, it would suddenly change. The final nail in the coffin was the ending sequence; that part was always a blur despite only seeing it a few hours ago. What made it even more annoying was that this happened the same way every single day!
‘Ugh.’
A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I pouted. To be honest, I didn’t really care that much about the Sea Dance. Yes, it was passed down from generation to generation. Yes, it was all that’s left of my family heritage, but...
The corners of my mouth rose as I folded my arms.
I just wanted to spend time with my dad. I wanted to do other things—not dance around like a jellyfish in water. I pulled the quilt cover up to my ears and closed my eyes.
‘Hmm...’
I continued thinking about the Sea Dance for a while. It made me realize that besides occasionally seeing my dad in the fields, I really didn’t know where he would often disappear to.
‘...Now that I think about it, mum sometimes isn’t home either.’
Unable to ignore the uneasiness growing inside of me, my eyes flashed open. I felt my heartbeat quicken as a tightness spread across my chest, forcing me to breathe faster than normal.
‘...Why does it suddenly feel like everyone’s been keeping secrets from me?’
Sweat gathered on the palms of my hands while I quickly sat up. I rested my back against the headboard, trying to calm myself down, but the anxiety only worsened.
I stared blankly at the wall in front of me for a few seconds. My eyebrows slowly fell to the top of my eyes as I parted my lips.
“I need answers.”
The resolution in my own voice reassured me—convinced me that this wasn’t a big deal and that it was nothing to worry about. I knew I was sensitive to... these kinds of things because I had outright refused to hang out with the other kids.
“It’s fine.”
Tomorrow, I would get my answers and rid myself of this unpleasant feeling hovering over my chest. I closed my eyes again, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
***
“Lyon!”
I gripped the quilt tightly as I turned over in my sleep. I thought I heard the sound of someone calling out to me, but it was vague and muffled.
“Lyon! Get up!”
“Mm...”
My eyes opened begrudgingly at the sound of the voice drawing closer. Everything was a blur as I blinked several times, trying to refocus my vision.
I could barely make out the face of my mum; her mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying—my attention taken away by an ice-cold breeze that rushed over me.
‘It’s never this cold...’
My gaze shifted to the source of this abrupt change in temperature. The cloudiness cleared, and I was greeted by a strange sight. Beyond the destroyed wall of my room, beyond the grassy garden, people rushed around in a panic.
They grabbed their necessary belongings, strapping them to their backs. I saw children crying as parents hurriedly navigated through the chaos.
My pupils dilated at the destruction of several homes in front of me. Walls were caved in, crushed like pieces of meat, flattened like pieces of paper as my gaze shifted to several huge boulders falling down from the sky.
“LYON!!”
A hand pulled me back from the opening of the hole as my mum quickly flickered forward. Her hand vanished, and the dozens of boulders flying towards us exploded into dust in an instant.
‘...’
I stared at her blankly. She wore light grey armour that suited her tall and slender frame. Her long blond hair was tied up neatly in a bun, while a sword hooked onto the buckle on the side of her waist.
‘...What?’
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the image of my mum didn’t change.
“Mum... What... What is—”
“There’s been a dungeon break, and a large monster horde is heading this way. You need to leave with the rest of the villagers right now.”
Her usual soft blue eyes were nowhere to be seen, instead replaced with a battle-hardened gaze. The urgency in her voice dispelled any doubts about this being a realistic dream.
‘Dungeon... break?’
I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew what a monster horde was. I quickly understood the seriousness of the situation and slipped my feet into my brown leather boots without wasting any more time.
“Your father and I won’t be coming with you. We need to stay here to buy the villagers enough time to reach Efros.”
My fingers abruptly stopped, leaving the shoelaces partially tied as I opened my mouth.
“I’m not leaving you and dad.”
I replied without looking up before continuing to tie my shoelaces.
“It’s our duty, Lyon. You have to go now. We’ll join you once all the villagers have been evacuated safely and reinforcements arrive.”
“I’M NOT GOING!!”
That was the first time I had ever shouted at my parents, and I instantly regretted it. I bit my lip, slowly raising my head as I made eye contact with my mother.
‘!’
My eyes widened while tears rolled down her cheeks. Her soft gaze rested on me, pain constantly flickering through her eyes as a gentle smile formed on her lips. She bent down till our eye levels met and pressed her forehead against mine.
“I’m sorry, Leo.”
Her words were more like a whisper. They wrapped around me, comforting me as my eyebrows curved upwards. Tears pooled at the corners of my eyes.
It wasn’t fair.
Why? Why did I have to leave them to fight alone? If only I was older, I could stay—I could fight with them.
“Lyon, it’s time to go. Don’t feel bad, because there’s something you can do.”
I felt a large hand rest on my shoulder. I could feel strength overflowing from it as I looked up at my father who was also wearing armour.
“Something... I can do?”
“That’s right. The faster you get to Efros, the sooner we can join you.”
My father grinned while he wrapped his arm around my mother’s waist. I watched the two of them standing side by side together—supporting one another.
‘Ah... I understand now. This is what they were hiding from me.’
Maybe whenever they weren’t home, they were handling issues like this? Was that why no monster hordes had ever really reached us before? I wasn’t completely sure, but the uneasiness lingering on my chest vanished.
I knew that if I stayed, I’d only get in the way. It was frustrating to admit, but like Dad said, there was something else that I could do. I got to my feet and faced them both.
“Mum, Dad, I’ll see you both soon.”
I bit my trembling lip and bolted into their arms. I squeezed them as hard as I could, feeling their bodies shake slightly while they rested their hands against my back.
I didn’t want to let them go, but I had to. I spun around, not wanting to see their faces again as I knew the resolve I had barely gathered would be blown away instantly.
I dashed through the damaged wall of my bedroom and never looked back.
“Let the water guide you.”
‘!’
The voice was as quiet as a whisper, but I knew it belonged to my father. I bit my lip, frantically wiping the tears away as I ran.
***
I arrived at the back of the village faster than I expected. Puddles of blood splashed against the large boulders and other debris that had managed to reach all the way here.
‘This...’
My gaze rested on dozens of injured people. Some were missing an arm or a leg; bandages were wrapped tightly around their wounded bodies as fresh blood seeped through.
I saw other open carriages loaded with people fleeing in the distance while Old man Jor stood next to the gate. He spoke with the villagers evacuating and judging by his body language, it seemed like he would also be staying behind.
He noticed my presence and hobbled forward in a hurry. He stopped a few metres in front of me as his hands rested on one another atop the wooden cane.
“There is a city on the border of Efros. Tell them that there’s been a dungeon break and that Haiton Village needs assistance. The Village Leader has already gone ahead to slow down the monster horde.”
His eyes were deep; the wrinkles that surrounded them no longer gave off the impression of oldness but of pure confidence in one’s ability.
”Old man Jo—”
His bony finger pointed to my legs as his eyebrows fell.
“You were always running around everywhere. Now is the time to use those legs, not just for your family, but for the sake of the village too.”
I glanced at the horses galloping away as the last few carriages began to depart. It suddenly dawned on me just what my parents and now Jor were asking me to do; I had no idea why they thought I could outrun a horse. It was honestly pretty ridiculous.
“Uh..., Yes...”
Jor’s eyes narrowed further. He straightened his always bent back while lifting his hands off the cane.
‘!’
The wood peeled away, revealing a jet-black sword. His bony fingers wrapped around the black handle, grasping it tightly as the air around him changed.
“Get going, little Leo.”
I stared at him in shock as he let out a small sigh. His eyes swivelled towards me while he parted his lips once more.
“Go!”
I snapped back to reality, quickly turning around to run off. I couldn’t help glancing back, only to see Old man Jor crouched down, then...
He vanished.
The area he once stood in exploded violently, ripping away the surrounding area like paper.
‘...’
I shook my head in disbelief as I hopped over the fence. I decided not to think about anything else. I focused solely on reaching Efros as fast as I could—that was my goal.
‘Please stay safe...’
***
Sweat poured down my face. I panted heavily, gasping for breath as my feet refused to stop moving.
‘How... much further...?’
How many times have I asked myself that question? That unknown number was as blurry as my current surroundings. I had somehow passed the villagers a long time ago; my body swiftly moved along the plains as they showered me with cheers of encouragement.
It temporarily strengthened my mind, energizing me to go on. I wanted to take a break, but no matter how far it was, I had to keep going.
Time continued to fly by as my arms flailed by my sides. I was sure it had been a few hours since I left the village—maybe more than that? Wasn’t it early in the morning when I was woken up? Isn’t the sun quite high up in the sky right now?
‘Seriously, where is this city?...’
Did we always live this far from the country of Efros? Dozens more questions flashed through my mind, and after a few more moments passed, I began to lose the will to continue.
I contemplated on whether I should at least rest for 30 seconds. I was severely dehydrated thanks to the scorching sun, and my vision had deteriorated even further. I instinctively understood that if I stopped now, I probably wouldn’t be able to move, let alone start again.
‘...’
I felt sick. I suddenly felt really sick.
“Let’s hurry men! Don’t break formation!”
A deep, loud voice thundered across the plains, dispelling my current thoughts. The sound of footsteps...? A storm of footsteps shook the ground, radiating past me as I wobbled.
Sweat rushed into my eyes; the salt inside causing them to burn like fire while I desperately squinted in order to try and see just who, or what was coming.
“Keuk...”
My legs collapsed underneath themselves, sending me to the ground with a loud thud. A pained moan left my mouth as I struggled to find the strength to raise my head.
The tremors grew closer. I forced open my mouth, the late morning air singeing my raw throat as I cried out.
“Help!”
The whiplash from using my strained vocal cords hit me instantly. The sharp pain made me cough up blood, mixed in with lumps of flesh that had peeled off the back of my throat.
“HELP!!”
I screamed again, ignoring the blood dripping out of the sides of my mouth. It splashed against the grassy earth in front of me as I coughed everywhere.
“Halt!’
A man wearing heavy armour with a dark red cape peered down at me. My gaze shifted to the row of soldiers that stood in formation. There were no horses—they had been moving on foot.
My body suddenly went limp as all the tension, adrenaline and whatever else kept me going, flowed out.
“You’re from Haiton Village, boy? How bad is the situation? Have the villagers already evacuated safely?”
He bombarded me with questions that I didn’t have the ability to answer even if I wanted to. I opened my mouth several times, trying to speak, but no sound came out.
“We’re still 1 hour away if we move at full speed. Sir, if you go on ahead, you would only need 30 minutes.”
“Indeed. Time is of the essence.”
His stern gaze swept over my weak body before looking on ahead.
“Report.”
A powerful voice shook the air; its pressure alone causing the faces of everyone present to instantly fall to the ground. They dropped to their one knee in unison, bowing their heads with one hand against their chest. The tension I had just let go, returned three times worse than before—the pressure squeezing the air out of my lungs.
“We greet Lord Yeboah!!”
The pressure evaporated the moment the soldiers paid their respect to this unknown person. I lifted up my head and saw a tall man with dark skin.
He had silvery-white hair plaited neatly into several rows down his head. His eyebrows matched his hair colour—highlighting his sharp, golden brown eyes that seemed to hold an unbelievable understanding about the world around us.
His arms were folded while his muscles, that jutted out of his loose clothing, were defined—polished like bronze brass. He stood a few metres away from me and from one look at him, I knew he could save them.
“My... Parents... Please save them!!”
Before I even knew it, I had dragged my exhausted body all the way over to him. Blood splattered everywhere as I cried out for his help. Too much had passed, and I was desperate.
I saw him raise his hand, stopping the soldiers who looked ready to send me to my grave early as he crouched down in front of me. He placed his hand on my head, taking away the soreness of my throat and revitalizing my body in an instant.
“I will do my best.”
A gentle breeze carried a few leaves that blocked my vision for less than a second. By the time they had passed, he was already gone.
I got to my feet and clenched my fists several times in order to verify whether or not it was just my imagination—it wasn’t. My body had definitely been restored in some way, though I could still feel some internal pain.
“Lord Yeboah is on the move. Everyone wait here on standby for the evacuating villagers will be arriving soon.”
“Yes, Captain Gain!”
Captain Gain stood beside me after giving out orders to the soldiers. His brown eyes peered down at me, causing me to shiver as a shadow cast over his face.
“Do not forget to pay your respects to Lord Yeboah, boy. You might be young, but he is still a treasure of the Cotis Empire and in a way, its symbol too. You should be honoured that you were even able to lay eyes on him.”
‘!’
Now that my mind had cleared somewhat, I suddenly remembered. That man was Keo Yeboah. That man was the main reason why the Cotis Empire exists! Well, that’s what dad said once many years ago.
I stared at the vast plains in shock at this revelation. No wonder everyone present became extremely hostile when I got close to him—it was completely understandable.
“...I understand.”
“Good.”
Captain Gain’s lips spread into a slight smile while he nodded his head approvingly. Thirty seconds had barely passed when dark clouds formed in the sky far ahead.
It was hard to make out from where I was currently standing, but I remembered it clearly. Black wind with thick dark green hues descended down from above, only to vanish a few seconds later.
“It’s over.”
A strong gust of wind rippled across the plains, forcing me to raise my hands as it blew past us. My gaze shifted to Captain Gain who twirled his moustache with beaming eyes.
‘Over? How could it be over that quickly??’
I stared at him, confused by his comment. A huge monster horde that required everyone to flee, was dealt with in half a minute? I was speechless.
He noticed my gaze and simply tutted in return. Before I could ask, the villagers finally appeared in the distance.
“Soldiers, escort the villagers. Prioritize the children and elderly!”
“Yes, Captain Gain!”
Hundreds of soldiers swiftly moved to carry out his orders. I observed the villagers collapsing from relief, crying their eyes out that they were safe now. Though I had mainly kept to myself, I was still familiar with them.
They were nice people and seeing them safe made me feel happy. All I needed to do now was wait for my parents to return.