Killing was surprisingly easier than he had thought it would be. And life was far more fragile than it appeared to be. Alnea Oathkeeper was not foreign to the concept of killing. Rather, the first volume of the Oathkeeper Arts was based on the concept of Slaughter. Even his sword arts were more inclined towards killing. In a way, he had grown up learning how to kill. As had the other scions of the Oathkeeper clan. And yet, all the elders in the clan had always said that the essence of the Oathkeeper Arts was to protect.

Alnea Oathkeeper had never understood what they meant, until he killed for the first time. He swore that he had no intention of killing. He was just asking a few questions, and defending himself. Just a simple slip of his sword, just a simple stab, and the man was dead. Life truly was fragile. It could be taken with just a single touch. What about her? Was she still alive? Was she just as fragile?

For the first time in over a year, Alnea did not get up immediately after waking up. He lay on the ground, with his eyes closed, thinking about what he had just dreamt, and what he had done the day before. The fragility of life… It was not as if he had not killed before. And neither was it the most gruesome death he had ever seen. At least Raython had died as a human being. The same could not be said about the former retainers of the Lotus clan, or even the Whitebud patriarch.

There was also the rain of flesh and blood that the Purplebud patriarch had created. And the Purplebud patriarch’s own death… Fighting till his last breath, even after being mutilated beyond recognition… The most gruesome death though, should have been of the Heterodox Wanderer that his master had killed. Even to this day, Alnea still could not understand how the man had died. Apparently, it had something to do with pain…

In any case, Alnea had seen his fair share of death. And he had never been bothered by those deaths. Even when most of deaths came about because of him, he did not feel guilty. Even when he had personally killed three Heterodox Wanderer, he did not feel guilty. It was only when he took another man’s life on accident that he understood how fragile it truly was. Just a simple push of his Aspects, just a simple thirst of victory—

“Are you awake?”

Alnea opened his eyes and saw Yuri’s crystal blue eyes—clear eyes, holding nothing but worry and concern for his sake— looking down at him, while her fingers of warmth, and care, sild through his hair, giving him a sense of peace and security.

“…How long did I sleep for?”

“Not long. Just a couple of hours.”

“…I am sorry. I—

“Stay still,” Yuri said, forcibly pushing his head back down on her lap, before continuing to gently brush his hair. “Don’t you know that I have not slept in years?”

“And yet, I slept once again.”

“That’s because of all the things that you been through. You—

“I failed, once again.”

“You did not.”

“I slept. When I should have been meditating, facing my fears, my Heart, I slept. I…”

“…It takes time, Alnea. Time, and patience. You have already reduced your sleeping time to around two hours in just one year. That is quite a considerable progress.”

“…What about your meditation?”

“…I tempered my Heart more in the past few hours than I did in the past few months.”

“…That’s because of your own accumulation. I did not do anything.”

“You did more than you can ever imagine… Having you by my side is the greatest aid to my meditation.”

“…I… Did I do something wrong, Yuri?”

“…You did not do anything wrong, Alnea.”

“But he did not deserve to die…”

“Maybe.”

“I killed him.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Yes… Yes, you did.”

“I…”

“He was your enemy, Alnea. And if he had gotten the chance, he would have tried to kill you too.”

“I… I…”

“Do you remember the former retainers of the Lotus clan?”

“…I do.”

“Did they deserve their deaths.”

“…They did.”

“Why?”

“…Because they became Heterodox Wanderers—

“Alright, how about the Lotus clan of Anneve. Did they deserve their deaths?”

“…Maybe.”

“You already know the truth about their deaths. It was because the Heterodox Wanderers were after you that those people had to die. In sense, you are also responsible for their deaths. Yet their deaths do not bother you, does it?”

“…No.”

“Why?”

“Because they were trying to take me away from you and master…”

“And what about the man you killed yesterday?”

“…He did not even know me. He was just trying to defeat me because of the orders of his clan.”

“How do you know that?”

“I…”

“The only thing you know is that the man was trying to defeat you. And if possible, even maim you.”

“No, the Arena—

“Would have only saved your life,” Yuri said, shaking her head. “Do you remember his first attack?”

“…The ‘Greed’s Exploding Fireball’?”

“You know how dangerous the Fireball was. Even if you had not been hurt in the explosion, the sticky nature of the flames would have ensured that they stuck to you until they melted off your skin, and threatened your life, before triggering the Arena’s protection. If not for your robe, you would have been left on the verge of your death. Now, do you still feel guilty about killing him?”

“I…”

“The people killed in Anneve were mostly innocent. Most of them had not even talked to you. Yet you still do not feel guilty about their deaths. But a man, who was trying to maim you, to humiliate you, and break your Heart… you feel guilty about killing him?”

“I… I killed him.”

“As you should have,” Yuri said in a firm, and undeniable tone. “He was your enemy, Alnea. As is the rest of the Lotus clan.”

“I… Why am I so useless?”

Yuri paused, and shook her head, before caressing his cheek with her free hand, as she lowered her head even more than before, looking directly into his eyes.

“You are not useless… You are just a fool, who is little confused.”

“…I don’t know what I should do…”

“Just keep moving forward, as you always have. You are Alnea Oathkeeper, the man who is going to become the greatest Wanderer.”

“No…”

“I am counting on you to help me become an Origin Wanderer, you know?”

“I…”

“After all, you still have to help me change the fate of my clan.”

“But…”

“And you have to protect Cecilia too. You promised big sis Serena to take care of her. Do you know how much worried she was about you?”

“I…”

“While you were roaming the land of your dreams without a care in the world, she kept coming in to check on you. I asked her to stay in the room with me, but she did not agree, saying that she needed to keep an eye on Vestia. Poor girl. She could not even meditate last night.”

“I…”

“And then there is Vestia. I don’t know how you have charmed her… She almost had a fight with me the night before, all so that she could be with you, and comfort you. She was even ready to use a few secret Arcanas of her Erwein Forest to help you. Seriously, can you stop creating so many problems for me?”

“She…”

“Still, she is a member of our team now. A Star Seeker. As a senior member of the team, and the one who came up with its name, you cannot make her worry about you. Or what is she going to think about us?”

“I…”

“Most importantly, you don’t wish to worry big sis Nyssa, right? What would she think if she saw you right now?”

“…I cannot let that happen.”

“The cheer up. What has happened, has happened. Instead of beating yourself over the past, prepare yourself for the future. Become strong enough so that nothing can disturb your Heart. Only then, can you keep your promises.”

Alnea took a deep breath as he pushed himself up from Yuri’s lap. And this time, she did not stop him. She just kept looking at him with a warm, and confident smile. As if she knew that nothing was going to be able to keep him down. Not even his own Heart. So, how could he disappoint her?

“I, Alnea Oathkeeper—

“What are you doing? Do you not remember…” Yuri trailed off as she saw the determination in his eyes, before letting out a sigh.

“…am taking an Oath, that I will never let my doubts and insecurities cloud my path. No matter how many people I kill, intentionally or unintentionally, or how many enemies I make, even when I am lost and confused, I will never stop moving forward. I, Alnea Oathkeeper, will keep all my promises.”

“…You should really think about changing your name to Alnea Reckless,” Yuri mumbled in a dissatisfied tone, but could not hide the smile on her face. Even if he was a little reckless from time to time, it was alright. As long as he could keep his Heart, as long as he could see her smile…

“Let’s go. Cecilia and Vestia should be waiting for us.”

“Waiting for us?”

“Have you forgotten? Today is the day we start recruiting new members for our team.”