Glenn’s eyes were locked with Howard’s, his teeth gritted and his fists clenched. Beside him, Sahro was standing with a blank expression, his hand tightly wrapped around his curved sword. The Baron grinned widely, before suddenly raising his hands and sighing.
"Of course, I can understand if you wish to stay here, among these...peasants." His smile disappeared, replaced by a cold, calculative face.
"You have skills, Glenn. You even managed to hurt Sir Stormblade over here!" Howard admitted as turned his eyes toward the black knight. He then gestured at the bronze knights, who suddenly pushed a kid out of the crowd.
Liam.
‘What the—’ Glenn’s eyes widened.
Baron Howard went and patted the kid’s back, still staring at Glenn coldly, "Of course, I can still bring someone else instead, like this kid you saved from the Auberge. Liam, isn't it?" He asked. The kid nodded frantically, terrified. Glenn clenched his teeth and leaned over the roof, Mana swirling around him threateningly. The Baron revealed his white teeth once again, helplessly opening his arms.
If you'd rather not come, I won't force you. But wouldn't it be too bad to give away such luck to this kid you barely know?"
'God damn it, he's telling me he's going to kill the kid!' Glenn brusquely stood up, Mana moving through his arms, before being stopped by Sahro. The Black Heir had a grim look on his face, but still stopped his companion from jumping at Howard.
The Baron shrugged, his palms raised toward the sky.
"I mean, that's your choice. But just imagine how good his life will be, once he ascends with me!"
The Baron smiled, his voice making Glenn think of a snake.
"Aren't you jealous of that?"
Glenn jumped forward, only to be thrown back by Sahro’s iron grip. He gasped, struggling to withhold his anger.
'It's not worth it, Glenn. You don't even really know the kid, anyway!' Diamanes tried to convince him, persuasion lacking in his voice.
Liam looked up at Glenn, a scared but strangely resolute look in his eyes as if saying: "Don't worry about me."
Baron Howard looked up at Glenn for a few more seconds, before shaking his head and sighing, “...Too bad. I am certain you would have loved making up for my son in the Bourgeoisie. Well, I’ll have to be satisfied with those three then…”
Glenn could only watch as the Baron turned away, the bronze knights following him as they pushed the three ‘chosen ones’ with them, as well as crates and bags of resources. Glenn fell to his knees, his eyes blank and empty, almost soulless.
But suddenly, the Baron stopped, his procession imitating him.
"Ah! I almost forgot!" He then made a gesture with his hand, revealing three bodies hanging from a wall that had been shrouded in darkness earlier. Glenn's eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly. His heart missed a beat as the blood in his veins turned to ice.
"They're criminals. So, like a good Baron should do, I got rid of them!" Howard explained happily, eyeing the three naked bodies covered in wounds and blood.
"No, no, no...!" Glenn felt the world turn, his breath taken away as he couldn't help but stare at the three bodies. Because, these three persons, hanging like meat, were persons he knew. His vision shook, tears blurring it. The first person was a friendly bartender, who had two daughters and a wife and was finally living the life he always wanted to live after arriving in the Fringe. The second...
Glenn lowered his eyes to the ground, struggling to breathe. He could hear his heartbeat at his temples, and he felt like he was going to puke it out. The second person was the first person he met once he entered the Fringe, a smiling farmer who worked hard under the sun in the wheat fields, struggling with all he could while cursing the Baron every day. His hat was hanging on his chest, covered in blood.
Glenn punched the roof he was on, imprinting his fist on the slate tiles, punching and punching until his fist bled red. The third person was a strong, petite woman, with a round figure and face. Her practical glasses were half-embedded in her previously rosy cheeks, and no smile was on her face, only blood, blood, and more blood. She would never bake another of her delicious bread, or offer any more bottles of home-made cider.
Glenn looked at his hands, his leather gloves ripped open, letting the blood from his hands drip from them on the roof.
The Baron left the square laughing out loud, accompanied by his procession. The chuckles echoed in the Northern Town, accentuated by the sound of blood dripping on the ground. Glenn couldn't see, or hear anything anymore. He had the image of the three victims hanging in the wind imprinted in his eyes. Even if he closed them, he could only see them, their empty, dead eyes looking at him.
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"This — this is all my...!" Tears stopped him from talking, as he took his face in his hands. Sahro was next to him, his gaze fixed on Mrs. Laurence's body. There was no way to tell what the Black Heir was feeling. The bell of Onnea's Church rang ominously, announcing 6 o'clock. As the sounds of the bells echoed in the Northern City, the denizens finally left their frozen states and went back to what they were doing. A few of them headed to the wall where the three bodies were hanging, trying to untie them.
But Glenn couldn't see any of that, or hear any of those bells. His eyes were filled with the hanged bodies, and the only thing he could hear was a loud, clear, disturbing command.
"KILL!" "KILL HIM!" "SLAUGHTER HIM!" "DESTROY HIM!"
This wasn't Diamanes' voice. No...It was his, exploding in his mind. He slowly stood up, his eyes bloodshot, channeling his Mana in his hands for the strongest Implosion he could muster.
Finally, the world went black.
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Glenn stared at the mansion in front of him. He had to get in there and get revenge on the Baron. He channeled Mana, summoning an Implosion. The steel gates that blocked his entry disappeared, swallowed by the blinding spell. Glenn entered, his eyes bloodshot. Bronze knights lunged at him, but he shot powerful Magic Bullets in the interstice of their armors or helmets, blowing their body parts off.
Finally, he entered the mansion, where a chilling sight was waiting for him. Sahro was lying on the ground, his head separated from his body. Giselle and Mary were pinned to a wall, daggers holding them into place. And Redan had been impaled, a wooden stick holding him straight toward the sky, his mouth opened in silent pain. Above this spectacle, were the three hanging corpses, their eyes empty. All of them were dead. Glenn fell back on his butt, gasping for air as he stared at what he was seeing.
The Baron appeared, floating down, laughing out loud. Behind him was the Stormblade, the black knight, gazing down at him with contempt. As if they were awoken by the laugh of the Baron, the bodies around him suddenly opened their mouths, laughing at him in a mockingly, morbid and horrible concert. Glenn couldn't help but scream, wanting to stop this nightmare.
"NO!!!"
And the nightmare stopped. The young man stood up, sweat covering his body, as he looked around with fear and confusion.
Shing!
He took his head in his hands, a painful headache seizing him. He felt a thick bump with his hand at the back of his head.
"What the hell happened...?" He mused, his eyes unfocused and confused.
Shing!
"I knocked you out," A man's voice responded dejectedly from beside his bed. Glenn turned his head, discovering that Sahro was at his bedside, sitting on a chair while sharpening his sword.
Shing!
'That's...the weird sound...alright."
Glenn lightly shook his head, trying to put back his thoughts in their places.
"Why did you knock me out?"
Sahro sighed, sheathing his sword.
"Because you were about to get yourself killed."
Glenn rubbed his temples, before remembering the events from before his blackout. A heavy silence installed itself in the small room, Glenn's eyes shaking.
He leaned against the wall, hiding his face in his right hand. His left was uncovered, but Diamanes remained silent. A few minutes passed without anyone saying anything. Finally, Glenn turned toward Sahro, his voice broken.
"How...how are things?"
The Black Heir sighed, rubbing his neck.
"The Baron already went back to the Third Circle."
He paused, before resuming his explanations.
"The three...have been buried this morning. The town is working again as if nothing happened. The Hearts Bakery...is gone, and has been replaced by a shoemaker."
He coughed a little, before continuing.
"The Frosty Beer is now directed by Winston's wife, helped by her daughters. That's his name, right? Winston?"
Glenn nodded slowly, before slowly getting out of bed. He still had all his clothes on. He touched his right cheek at the place Stormblade cut him during their duel. A crust had been formed, the wound not regenerating similarly to his other injuries.
'That'll leave a mark...' He thought absently.
"What about Carys?" He asked as he was the only one who had been left out.
Sahro shook his head.
"Nothing was affected by his disappearance. He was alone, and had no family."
Glenn lowered his gaze.
"I see..." He muttered, smiling dejectedly, "A sad end for a sad life..."
Sahro stood up from his chair, looking hesitantly at Glenn.
"I'll be in my room. Just...Tell me if you need something."
Glenn nodded absently, his mind raging with thoughts.
After Sahro left the room, the young man stood up from his bed, heading for the small, dirty window that showed the outside of the Dormitories. He could hear the streets bustling with activity once again.
"That was a really bad day," he said aloud, before leaning on the window frame, his eyes closed as he bathed in the returned sun.
Finally, a teardrop fell from his right eye, and then another one, and another...
"Damn it..."
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Glenn stood alone in the Training hall, in the middle of one of the sand arenas. He was swinging down the Fool's Trainer without stopping, sweat pearling at his forehead. It had been at least three hours since he started swinging. His body was hurting everywhere, and his hands were full of exploded blisters, but he kept on swinging, restlessly. He couldn't train his Mana, hell, he couldn't even enter Meditation right now. So he did the only thing he could. Train.
Swing!
With each swing, Glenn felt his muscles strain under the effort, asking desperately for rest. But Glenn kept on swinging steadily, his gaze unchanging.
Swing!
In his eyes, three bodies were hanging, covered in blood and wounds.
Swing!
Winston.
Swing!
Carys.
Swing!
And Mrs. Laurence.
Swing!
Glenn breathed out, raising his sword once again. It had been a long time since his hands had started bleeding, but he didn't care. He couldn't care. When he thought back to the three victims for the sole reason of...knowing him, he couldn't help but not care.
Swing!
His helplessness.
Swing!
His lack of strength, or bravery to act.
Swing!
He couldn't accept it, but it was done. All because he was too weak to fight off a damned Baron.
Swing!
Rage distorted his traits, as he swung again, and again, and again.
Swing!
Glenn let the sword crash into the ground, planting it in the sand. He picked up some water from a nearby bench and quenched his thirst. Then, he went back to the heavy sword, picking it up, and swinging it down once again. He still had to find Liam, who had been brought with the Baron for his "ascension".
Swing!
Because that's the only thing he could do right now. The only thing he could think of. His eyes were resolute, his determination as strong as steel. He could already imagine the road in front of him. Paved in blood and iron. But he didn't care. He would get stronger. Infinitely stronger. So much that he would be able to crush Howard like the bug he was. And he'll get back to Earth, free from the horrors of this world.
And he would let nothing stop him.
Nothing.
End of Book One, Blood Moon