Leonidrax loomed over the mother and her daughter, casting a long shadow.

“Please, sir. Let my child go. I offer myself to you,” the mother pleaded, desperation in her voice.

“Mom?” the little girl whimpered, confusion and fear mixing in her gaze.

Leonidrax paused, contemplating the offer. After a moment, he smirked. “Fine. I’ll let her go.”

The mother turned to her daughter, urgency in her tone. “Run, please! Get far away from here. There’s a village not too far to the east. Go there and be safe,” she urged, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Mom, I—” the little girl began, panic rising in her chest.

“Go now!” the mother insisted, her eyes pleading.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, the little girl took off. The mother turned back.

“What is it that you want?” the mother said.

Leonidrax pulled out a huge sword from his back, its blade shining menacingly in the low light. The mother fell to her knees, fear taking hold of her.

As the little girl ran away, she turned back just in time to see Leonidrax swing his sword. The blade cut through the air quickly, and in a heartbeat, it struck the mother in the back, ending her life instantly. After the death of her mother and father The girl's heart shatters into pieces like fragile glass. Korizma told Mercury that she found the shard.

With that Mercury commanded all the gods to return to the palace of Heaven and Hell, his voice echoing with authority. He also commanded the troopers to stay behind and ensure that all the villagers were dead, but to keep Yí Yù alive. The gods in flash disappear.

"See what happens when you refuse to obey your higher lords," Mercury said.

The little girl hid in the cart, her heart pounding as two troopers came closer, ready to kill her. Suddenly, a quick movement flashed by, and the troopers' heads dropped to the ground. The girl gasped, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

A man appeared, his skin a striking gray and his hair resembling polished steel and wielded a massive sword.

“ Um. what happened here”. He said with confusion.

All the other troopers noticed him and rushed toward him. The man grinned widely. "Oh, finally! I get to test out my new powers. Come on, then! All of you!"

One by one, the man took down every trooper that came at him with ease. Then, he did something extraordinary. Raising his massive sword, he commanded, "Expand!" The blade grew longer and larger, and with one powerful swing, he wiped out dozens of troopers, drastically reducing their numbers. Now, only eight hundred thirty-four remain.

He extended his hand toward one of the troopers and muttered, "Replica." In an instant, his form shifted, and he transformed into an exact copy of the trooper. The man, now resembling a trooper, fought with precision and skill, cutting down each remaining soldier with ease. The little girl, hidden in her spot, watched in awe as he defeated every last one of them until none were left standing.

"Who is he?" she wondered silently, her heart racing. "Is he our savior?"

With only three troopers left, they dropped their weapons, shaking with fear, and begged for their lives. The man looked at them for a moment, then nodded.

"Go," he said.

The three troopers didn’t waste any time. They ran as fast as they could, vanishing into the distance, away from the village. The man let out a big sigh of relief.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Alright, I got my daily workout in. Now, where's that apple?” he said to himself. Just then, the little girl approached him timidly.

“Sir... ca... Can you help me?” she asked in a soft voice.

The man looked down at her with curiosity . “Hey, you live here, little one? If so, what happened? Why is everything burning and turning to ashes? There are so many bodies—women, children, men. Did you all get attacked?”.

“Yes, we were attacked by the gods. They killed everyone,” the little girl said quietly, her voice shaking.

“For real?” The man raised an eyebrow, surprised. “What about your parents? They must still be alive, right?”

She shook her head, eyes full of tears. “No... they were killed too.”

The man sighed, turning to leave, unaffected by her words. “Well, kid, I’m sorry, but it’s not really my business. I hope you find your way.”

“Wait! You’re not going to help me?” she asked, her voice trembling with desperation.

He glanced back, his expression indifferent. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened, but I’ve got my own mission to complete. I can’t get involved.”

"But you killed the soldiers," the little girl said, her voice trembling.

The man shrugged casually. "Yeah, I did. I wanted to test out my new powers," he replied with a smirk. "My master granted them to me, and I couldn’t resist trying them out."

He began to walk away, but her voice stopped him once more. “Wait! Maybe I can help you on your mission!”

He paused, intrigued, and turned to face her again. “Really?”

“Yeah. Tell me what the mission is. I’ll do anything to help.”

"My master told me there's an apple that grants immortality," the man explained, his tone light. "He needs it for a very special stew."

The little girl looked up at him, curious. "Where is the apple?"

The man scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I think he mentioned it’s on top of a mountain called Heart and Soul."

"I think the priest might know where the mountain is," the little girl suggested.

"Really? Well, where can I find this priest?" the man asked.

"He should still be alive," she replied. "None of the soldiers attacked him. He might be in the center of the village."

"All right then, let's go meet him," the man said, ready to move.

But the girl hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Before we do this, can you promise me something? Before my mom died, she said there’s a village nearby. After you get your apple... Can you take me there?"

The man smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "You got it, kid."

They both sprinted to the center of the village and found the priest on his knees. They could hear his soft, quiet sob. After witnessing the devastation around him, the priest felt a heavy weight of regret. He realized the consequences of his mistakes and how they had led to this terrible outcome.

"Hey, old man, get up!" a voice called out.

"Wha—?" The priest blinked, confused, feeling a small hand on his back. He turned and saw a little girl standing beside him.

In disbelief, The priest stared in awe, unable to believe his eyes. Someone was still alive after the massacre. The priest, still kneeling with tears streaming down his face, looked up at the little girl. His voice trembled with a mix of sorrow and relief as he whispered, "Oh, little one... you're still okay."

"Yeah, but we need your help, priest," the girl said softly.

The priest looked back down, still overwhelmed by guilt. "How can I go on after what happened? This... all of this, it's my mistake," he muttered, his voice filled with regret.

“ Mistake?”

"I let my pride blind me," the priest murmured, his voice trembling with regret. "I should have just given him what he wanted, None of this would have happened... all this pain, all this loss. It could’ve been avoided”.

The little girl looked at the priest, her eyes gentle and saying wise words."There's no need to be sad," she said softly. "You did what you thought was right. Even when things don’t go as planned, your heart was in the right place. Don’t carry so much guilt—it's too heavy for anyone”.

Still feeling the weight of his guilt, the priest paused, then decided to take the girl’s advice to heart. He looked ahead with a renewed sense of calm.

“You're right, little one," he said softly. "I shouldn't carry this burden for long. I’ve been too hard on myself."

The man with gray skin exhaled, a look of relief washing over his face. "Finally," he murmured, his voice steady. A faint smile touched his lips as he glanced around. "Now, can we move on? The smell of ashes is starting to get to me."

The priest stood, and the little girl rose beside him. Together, they followed the gray-skinned man in silence. After a while, the girl's curiosity sparked, and she looked up at him, her voice soft yet curious. "What's your name mister.?"

Without turning, the man answered, his voice steady and calm. "My name is Zander," he said, as they continued their quiet journey forward.