Nortes walked through the street, then to the street again. And another street. Driven by a mission to find the shop that is relevant to a book.
His step came to a stop. At last, he found what he was looking for.
However it was a store that sell all kinds of books.
He originally planned to find a shop that has books. So he decided not to waste his body's energy, as he was assumed it would take longer to find the library in the town.
In addition, he was not so familiar with the town yet.
He opened the door and the bell chimes.
Thing!
He flinched when he heard it. Upon glancing it was just the bell hanged above the doorway, he let out a derisive snort because he reacted to nothing but just a door accessory. The awkwardness subsided then moved on, closing the door behind.
Though it was his first time to hear the chime of the bell and ever seen one.
The interior of the shop has a small space, and yet the books on the shelves are quite pretty arranged.
The room is dimly lit, and the only light source is from the windows on each side of the entrance door.
He approaches through the shelves of books and presently stood front of the Storekeeper's desk.
The slight staggering face masked his head.
There was no sign of the Shopkeeper.
Nortes remained closely at the counter to wait patiently for the Shopkeeper to come.
A minute has passed and still the Shopkeeper had not come.
His patient was growing thin, upon waiting and waiting. The time is driving forward. As it's reached its end.
'Maybe I will come back later...' He thought.
With the tiresome sigh, he turned, facing away, as he walked toward the entrance door to exit.
His hand grasped the doorknob-but then he suddenly felt an uncertainty.
He rose his head then glances back at the counter.
'Maybe. Just maybe. I will try to wait again.'
His right hand subconsciously slipped off the doorknob. Again, he walked through the shelves.
In the midst of the stroll toward the counter, his eye wanders over the novels on the shelves. There is one novel that caught his eye. It seized his attention too.
His hand holds the book carefully.
His head tilted as he inspected the book.
He cannot read the title due it is still unreadable; the letters are all distorted and unstable. The shift of his attention stayed on its cover instead.
A white bird flying across toward the horizon under the clear beautiful ocean mirroring the dawn.
He felt a growing modest liking on its cover. As if it is like familiar to his being.
At that moment, faint footsteps interrupted. He turned to where the noises were coming from as he saw an elderly man walked toward the counter and remaining there.
That could be the Shopkeeper of this store.
When he walked back to the counter while holding the novel in his hand, the elderly man perked up his head as if he realized he had a customer.
"Ah, a customer!" The voice was a bit weak yet it was audible to hear. "...If you were looking for the Shopkeeper you should just ring this bell over here." He rose a finger and points it at the table bell displayed on the wooden counter.
Nortes blinked as he now realized his stupidity.
"Is that how it works? My fault. I actually didn't know about it until now."
"You must be new around here right? Judging by your honesty about your problem."
"You are right. I'm new." He instinctively put the novel over the counter and left it there.
The Elderly man lays his eyes on the novel laid on the counter desk then returns to Nortes.
"The price is 349 Nezo." He opened his palm above the counter desk.
Nortes surprised a little on the misunderstanding, "You've been misunderstood, mister. I am not going to buy it but... I must put it back to return it."
The elder man takes the novel book then puts it down under the counter. He rises before facing him again.
"Well, I'll just put it back where it was by myself later."
Nortes could feel the awkwardness looming around within the store like ghost, so he must change the topic quickly in order to cut off the silence.
"Being new to this town is not that easy than I'd imagined." He said.
"I already knew. Adjusting to the new surroundings, aren't you? I understand. It isn't easy at first, and you will handle it soon; it's only a matter of time. So what book are you looking for?"
"I need a language book specifically for this village. I had a problem not understanding the language of the writings around here you see." He confessed lightly.
With just a nod, without a word, the elderly man walks across the store, every shelf, to find the book he requested.
Simply, a few minutes had passed, and the man was on his way back to the counter where his customer was waiting.
The grandfather stands before him and reaches his arms to present the book, Nortes grasped it and takes the book from the elder's hands.
"You may go."
Nortes's head jerks up, looking at the old man directly,
"Right. I should pay-" He exclaimed, even knowing that he didn't possessed the currency of this world just yet.
The old man opened his palm, gesturing in refusal.
"Consider it as a welcome gift to our town." He assured him with a little smile, but obvious behind that smile is hinting something trouble.
Luck blessed him but he felt undeserving of the gift-giving for free again. Feeling overwhelmed by the conviction, his mouth opened to utter a word, but sadly it was cut off by the elder man who went inside the back door, without a word again, leaving his customer by himself alone in his quiet store.
Nortes is now the only person in the store as he accompanied by silence.
He gazes at the book in his hand.
"These people are kind to the outsider, huh? Or am I just lucky?"
A murmur of disbelief escaped his lips. He took the moment of solitude for a minute before he turned around and left the store.
Ting!
The book slips and fell to the ground while he closes the door. Nortes subconsciously loose the book from his hand.
The book opened, and the pages were pressed against the stone ground.
He grunts, mildest frustration to his stupidity, and retrieved the book to his hand.
"Damn it." His hand moves, brushes the dust off on every part of the book. And inside too.
As the cleaning has done, he starts to read. A light irritation appears across his face once he read the first page.
'I still can't read. Useless!' He closed the book immediately.
Next, all the sudden, the ground shook briefly as it went silent. Followed by the loudest eruption, as well as screams from the people in terror.
Phush!
The harmony in the town was no more, gone like in the blink of an eye, and he felt that moment was transient. The chaos and screams of the people are the only things present to his eyes and ears.
Amidst the terror there was a giant, black snake, standing straightly, its presence overlooking the buildings.
Soon after, its presence fell as a sound of destruction and crumble from that direction bellows across the town.
His attention was quickly diverted. People were running towards him across the path in fear, telling by their expressions, they were afraid to meet their end.
A ferocious roar echoing somewhere.
In the flow of the feared people on the path, four men in armors passed him as they were heading to where the direction of ongoing wrecking havoc.
He, Nortes, felt curious, a tendency to go ahead to that direction despite the danger. So he simply answers a direct response that was to dedicate his life to watching the action in a closer view.
After arriving, he turned his head everywhere, his eyes met the tragic state of the street. The houses were collapsed, ruined and the debris was scattered everywhere. He continued, walking forward as he met another destruction, but at the distant, the most catches of all was an innocent child stood in silent and wept seemly unable to move, he was overwhelmed by fear. The people were already left the ruins except the kid whom left abandoned, forsaken in the destruction. He heard a faint sound is closing in.
The giant monster crawled across the path, subsequently brought destruction as now seeking again something to destroy, something vulnerable. Its hungry eyes are directly focused at the child. A hisses lingering of prelude to satisfaction from the giant black Cobra-like serpent bearing several small limbs, like a predator had seen another prey to devour in order to please its hunger to the fullest.
Nortes began to trembled all over, felt under intimidated by those sharp gaze. His body subconsciously retreated backwards and it also was prepared to run if the case became worse. When he was about to turn he swiftly in sudden halted.
"Mama…" A voice shattered his fear and cowardice as it leisurely left his body. "Where are you, mama…? I'm scared. Don't… leave me alone, mama." It came from the child.
In his mouth, it twitched, hardly choosing a decision. Either risking his life to save the child or leaving the child to saving himself instead.
If he choose to left the child he would surely not forgive himself. Not only that but it would also break his dream.
The twitching lips went eased and both replaced by gritting teeth. His irritation subsided, a clear signal and direct answer that he had finally decided.
'Damn. It's ride or die. It's all or nothing!'
His eyes, which were shaking in fear, now settled, shone in strong courage like iron.
He sprinted toward the child as the giant cobra-like serpent slithered across, crawling with its limbs, toward the child too. They took their actions simultaneously at once.
The outcome is uncertain—
He reached the child, opened his arms and closed around the child while the snake already stretched its mouth wide. A prelude to their death.
In the middle of the way, he went down then rolled immediately to the side as he evaded the incoming opened-mouth.
The snake was remained slithering across the ground. It shifts its maneuver, turning back at them, to launch another attack. It screams in desperate desire, a dire answer, itching to swallow a live prey.
His body shuddered in fear and became pale after he saw the snake was heading back toward them. He began to sprint without uncertainty, his primal instinct possessed the mind. While the child currently carried under his arm like a sack, his arm tightly hugged the child's waist during their escape and in a crucial situation.
"Don't be afraid. I got you. Everything is gonna be fine, I'll get you to your mother later, I promise." He assured, "...If I can survive somehow." He whispered quietly, attached a slight hint of an unsure doubt.
However there were no words escaped from the mouth of the child.
He tried his best to slip off the giant black snake by going through different directions, choosing randomly. And at the same time carried the kid under his arm like a sack.
However, their chase involved the remaining buildings to ruins. Crashed and cracked everything by the serpent's body in its wake as there was no painful reaction so far, even a care. As if anything in its way including the buildings didn't bothered whatsoever during pursuing its prey.
At that moment, Nortes could barely think of a plan to divert its attention completely somewhere. Just stuck at the condition on relying to his own mind but to choose a random choice, such as this.
He went to the left to the left to the left and to the left.
To the right to right to left to right to left, straight forward then to the right to the right as went to right.
However the snake was unaffected to his shaking maneuver, and diverting off its attention. His first plan was useless against it.
'What would I do in this situation… Come on, think!' A voice of dismay glides around in his head. Desperate to cling to some idea under the chaos.
As when the body began to lose its power, his body jerked, that was when an idea eventually appeared. At the wrong time.
'I got it!-'
Thud!
In the midst of running and performing his idea, it was suddenly intervened, he felt hard tackled on his side, it pushing him toward the right side of the path. Due to it, he was escaped fortunately from being chased by the humongous serpent. Confused to its prey's sudden disappearance, it slithers across the stone path to the direction it chose. It seems its own remain unshaken, eager to find Nortes regardless. In the meantime, the three of them were safe for now. They were hiding in dimly lit path behind the buildings, a gap that had enough space for them to breath and moving around.
A perfect shelter, hidden from the prying eyes of the lurking predator nearby for a little while.
"Hey-" A hand clasped against his mouth.
"Mhm?" It was too press that his voice became minimum.
"Be silent." The voice was recognizing. The hand pressed over his mouth deeper, smothering his words-and that hand was Mikhail's.
Their attentions shift, at the huge black cobra glanced over the buildings near where they are. The tension was breathtaking.
Mikhail reached out his other hand to pressed on his lord's chest while still mute his voice, forced leaning him backwards until his back feels the wall of the unbroken house as Mikhail also did the same. The kid followed after him.
Not long later, after as Mikhail finished inspecting through the small gap and quietness around their area, certainly the horrifying snake no longer in sight, and safe to proceed. He then shoots a glance to his lord then thoroughly examine his condition with his vision. No wound nor scratch was found, a visible relief and delight spreads across his serious face.
"It's fortunate to see that you're in fine condition, my lord. I must escort you to safety quickly." He paused in the mid-way of flee when he spotted his lord didn't move and has a child on his side, hands are clenched to his outfit as it's like a denial to be abandoned again.
"That child..."
"Mikhail, are you looking for this kid too?" A question broke his silent. Nortes acknowledged Mikhail's intention was only to found him. And he assumed Mikhail perhaps might looking for the child also as him. For if he might told by the child's mother to must retrieve him in peace.
"I do. I had an encountered the mother of the child on my way as she had told to me I must find her child, lost in the panicked rampage. I swore upon an oath, I must protect the lives of the people, as well as I also bring the child to his mother. It's my duty upon my role as the Sentinel."
"Your duty, huh?" Nortes fell silent. He slowly glanced at the child beside who clenched his hands tightly on his upper cloth like a koala to the tree. Seem seeking assurance and comfort in the midst of the chaos that quiet down for a moment.
'Every tale I had read often led to tragedy. When I saw this kid, alone and froze in terror, it reminded me of that. A child who lives in harmony cannot bear the cruelty of the sudden event, unlike me on other hand—My mind had learned to withstand the pain over these past years.'
'It's undeserving for a children even him to experiencing this madness, they are supposed to enjoy their childhood to the fullest. However I can't do anything because it is an inevitable.'
Suddenly the houses to their right were collapsed to crumble, the child flinched in horror, he cling more to Aecieulette's arm.
"Oh no...!" Mikhail's faint voice, haul with mixed of terror and surprise, by it alone shattered his reverie as he returns to the reality. He glanced to the side where the giant cobra awaits amongst the houses it broke by the swing of its tail. By the sight, a terrible news struck him to his gut, blade of fear pierced his heart.
Death had found them.
Its sharp gaze locked completely at them. It hisses at them then the child gasps, frightened by horrifying face and cowers behind Aecieulette. Still cling on his cloth.
"Tsk! It found us." Mikhail immediately positioned himself before the frontside of his lord, his entire body pointed at his big threatening opponent. "My lord, take this moment to flee." Face turned over the shoulder, the evening eyes gave its final glance at him briefly then
Nortes was dazed on his sudden action, soon he recovered,
"Without YOU?! Don't you say such stupid things, you idiot! There must be a sort of way to-" His sentence cut in half by Mikhail's voice, spoke again.
"Go ahead, my lord! Live! Safe yourself! I refuse to lose you again!" His face didn't look back at him or a single glance. A confession behind the shout. A plea behind those fierce eyes in midst of vital moment.
Nortes grit his teeth, overwhelmed by hesitation to take the command.
"You must! Do it now!" Mikhail then unsheathed the sword from its scabbard strapped around his waist. He engaged in combat stance at the ready, but behind those shuddered eyes a fierce light shimmered.
As if he had fully accepted the day to when he would lay down his own life for him.
"Do it..." Mikhail glanced back. The cold mask he always wore was gone. In its place was a soft, gentle smile--a stranger's face.
"Go forward without me, Aecieulette."
Nortes's chest burned. The world felt colder. The warmth in Mikhail's eyes was worse than any blade. It promised goodbye.
'This scene... This feeling... Why am I witnessing it again...' A memories from the past flooded his mind. The characters were met their demise but some were undeserved even to those who laid down their lives for somebody. Sadness ached his heart.
The hungry snake began to move, without warning, slithering to the side slowly, seemly observing its preys as Mikhail ready himself then he felt an anticipation whenever it would strike. And taking a glanced occasionally to those two who still there and also had not flee yet.
The child, his hands shook in fear. He perceived the intimidation, his instinct screaming desperately to retreat with Nortes to the safest place due caused by those sharp eyes of the black snake.
Time seemed to halt. His heart struck against his ribs, fierce, and relentless.
'Mikhail... To be honest you're such a poker face bodyguard and I may in fact not know you and you do know this Ashulette... But you are genuinely not suitable to have a bad ending. Even though you were annoying from before. Y'know what, it's because...'
'...That's because I hate watching people dying.'
The moment he stepped forward, time returned. The brown-haired child released him. His small trembling hands slipped away. Nortes took a hesitant step toward Mikhail.
Mikhail looked over his shoulder. His lord was coming toward him, the child left behind.
Mikhail had trusted his lord to take the child and flee to the shelter. That was the plan--simple, desperate, and their only chance. Yet when he turned, the sight shattered his expectations. His lord was walking toward him, leaving the brown-haired child behind, small hands trembling to himself.
For a moment Mikhail couldn't breathe; disappointment struck first, sharp as blade, then worry coiled around his lungs, tightening with every step the man took. His heart pounded, not from battle, but from betrayal he could not name. he had given orders to save them both, not to return to him. The air around them seemed to slow, every motion heavy, every heartbeat loud.
And in that frozen instant--when his lord's warm, unfamiliar smile met his, surprise burst through him like cold water, robbing him of words he didn't know he needed.
"What in the..." Without realizing, his lord had already come to stand at his side.
The giant cobra-like serpent lay still, its eyes tracking them with deadly focus. Mikhail looked at his lord. Calm, unshaken, but the fire in his eyes betrayed a hint of anger, struggling to remain hidden behind his stoic mask.
"Lend me your sword." His lord's voice cut through the tense silence.
Mikhail's jaw tightened. He knew what his lord intended: he would face the serpent alone, risking death once more. A spark of irritation twisted across his face. He despised the idea, hated even the thought of it.
"I sincerely declined. This matter is mine alone to handle."
"Lend. Me. Your. Sword." His lord repeated, each word deliberate, edged with something Mikhail had never heard before---urgency, authority, and... emotion.
"I kindly denied. As I said, this matter is mine to hand-"
"That's an order!" His lord snapped, the words sharp and raw, carrying desperate authority under a thin veneer of calm.
The snake reacted instantly. A piercing hiss split the air as it lunged, whipping its massive tail toward them like a living weapon.
Mikhail's hesitation shattered and pushed his lord when he saw the giant foe launched its attack in the middle of their conversation.
The tail tear down the wall of the empty house on impact—However those two were remain survived and unharmed.
The snake returned its tail as well as returned to observing them again.
Mikhail had surrendered under the authority of his amnesia lord, giving his sword with facing its handle to his hand directly.
"Consider it done." Mikhail replied.
The cleansed blade of the sword caught Nortes's attention, a silent admiration behind each of his eye, the light bounced off from the blade as he glanced he met the reflection of his eyes of burrowed body.
'Every characters deserve a happy ending. Even you too, random boy.'
He glanced at the child who now standing from far. The child was moved away when the tail was coming to them, Nortes assumed.
"One more thing, Mikhail. Do me a favor to return the child to his mother."
Mikhail hesitated, he imagined his lord would fight the giant black snake by himself, distress held him. Under his morality he must follow the command. No matter how ridiculous may be.
"I shall fulfil your command." He bow first to him before went to the child.
"And Mikhail..." Another voice from his lord as he heard. He halted at once in prelude of their flee.
"Come back to my side quickly when it's done. I'm powerless without you." A smile carved on his blank expression. Without a word, with just a nod, Mikhail and the child left.
'Every tale needs a protagonist then I'd gladly become one. If I become inferior by that dark chocolate giga lizard's power, I will need the assistance of Mikhail to increase the manpower so to make it possible.'
Nortes swinging the sword gently to avoid accidentally get himself a wound.
"Neat...!" He said in absolute admiration on the first ever held a real sword.
"-!" His head perked up when suddenly the snake started to attack, swung its long tail. He tried to evade through skip a step backward however the attack had reached to him eventually.
Augh!
Whack!
He flew across far from the snake. As he before hit the path, he threw the sword first forth as he groaned,
Ooofff!
and moaned in suffer on landing then rolled across the floor and at the same time protecting his head with his arms. Meanwhile the sword also landed on the floor with a loud metallic thud of its blade, then it slides with gentle scrape. It ended soon when it laid twenty meters far from Nortes's body.
Fortunately, less of a minutes, his body was recovered and regained his consciousness, even he felt dizzy, beside that, then tried to lift himself up, the body slowly rose from the dusty floor. A slip of agony blew in his mouth.
"Ah... Augh... That was unfair." He retorted weakly even though it was entirely his fault he got distracted. The land shook then paused as he gaze across he saw the snake approaching forth.
"I regret my decision... May I get a refund?" He spoke a joke even in the critical moment, though his body has not moved on. The pain from impact still stings.
"Maybe... Looks like I'm not gonna survive after all..." He replied weakly. In the distance far from him the giant snake was stood up to look over him then it fell on the ground lightly with a loud rumbling thud as it began to slithering toward him. Its limbs softly padded the quality of the surface, crawled constantly in its wake.
"Ah... Shibal..." Nortes cursed in whisper.