**[NARRATOR AWAKENS - BECAUSE YOU MISSED ME, DIDN'T YOU?]**
WOW! "My little devil!"
And here we are AGAIN!
So how was the 3rd chapter? The emotional devastation? The slow-motion train wreck of Fred's manipulation? The exquisite agony of watching Hexia choose peace over happiness and discover that peace without joy is just another kind of death?
Of COURSE it was good! Why ELSE would you be here?!
You're hooked! You're invested! You're probably checking your watch wondering when this chapter will deliver the catharsis you've been CRAVING for three chapters now!
Well, buckle UP, buttercup! Because this chapter? THIS chapter is where everything comes to a HEAD.
Literally.
Get it? HEAD? Because someone's gonna lose theirs?
AH, I'm HILARIOUS! And you're GROANING! But you're STILL HERE!
Anyway, let's head STRAIGHT to the story!
---
**TIME SKIP: TWO YEARS LATER**
*(Because we're speed-running to the good stuff now, my friends!)*
Our guy Hexia is now **eighteen years old**. Still in Korn Village. Still "peaceful." Still empty inside like a beautiful vase that's been shattered and glued back together but all the pieces are in the wrong places and now it can't hold water anymore, it just LOOKS like it should work but it DOESN'T.
He's become the village's unofficial protector. The guy you call when shit hits the fan. When bandits come? Hexia handles it. When monsters attack? Hexia handles it. When corrupt merchants try to cheat people? Hexia handles it.
And by "handles it," I mean he fucking ENDS them. Efficiently. Ruthlessly. Without emotion. Without hesitation. Without that pesky thing called "mercy."
The villagers respect him. Fear him a little—okay, MORE than a little. But don't really KNOW him. Because how can you know someone who's not really THERE? Who's just a ghost piloting a meat suit? Who's performing "person" but not actually BEING one?
*You can't. That's the answer. You can't know the unknowable.*
He's the village hero. The local legend. The guy who keeps them safe.
He's also profoundly, devastatingly, crushingly ALONE.
But hey! He's PEACEFUL, right? That's what matters! RIGHT?!
*(Narrator's note: It doesn't matter. It never mattered. Peace without purpose is just slow death with better PR.)*
---
**ONE FATEFUL DAY**
*(Because every story needs one of these, and we're overdue!)*
It's a typical day. Hexia is training in the yard of his parents' house. Same yard where he trained with Lhoralaine and Fred all those years ago. Same movements. Same precision. But now he trains alone. Always alone.
His sword cuts through the air with lethal grace. Each movement is PERFECT. Not because he loves it—he doesn't feel anything about it anymore—but because muscle memory and discipline don't require emotions. They just require REPETITION.
Swing. Step. Parry. Thrust. Repeat.
A meditation through violence. A prayer written in blade-work. An attempt to feel SOMETHING through the only language he has left—combat.
Then—
**RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.**
Heavy breathing. Panic.
Hexia pauses mid-swing. His eyes—those cold, dead eyes that have become his trademark—track the movement.
A villager. Middle-aged. Out of breath. Face pale with fear.
**Villager** *(gasping, stumbling toward Hexia's house)*: "H-Hexia! HEXIA! We need— *gasp* —we need your help! There's— *wheeze* —bandits! On the road! They're attacking a merchant caravan! There are adventurers fighting but they're— *gasp* —they're outnumbered! Please!"
Hexia doesn't respond. Doesn't ask questions. Doesn't waste time on unnecessary words.
He just MOVES.
---
**THE SCENE OF CARNAGE**
*(Or, as I like to call it: "Hexia's Daily Workout Routine, Now With More Murder!")*
The road to Korn Village is a DISASTER.
Overturned carts. Scattered goods. Blood on the ground—some fresh, some drying in the afternoon sun.
**Five C-rank adventurers** are fighting for their lives against **eighteen bandits**. The math is NOT in their favor. The adventurers are competent—you don't survive to C-rank without skill—but they're OUTNUMBERED. Badly.
And one of them—a **woman with long silver hair**—is WOUNDED. Badly. She's clutching her side, blood seeping through her fingers, trying to stay upright while her party members form a protective circle around her.
The bandits KNOW they have the advantage. They're laughing. Mocking. Toying with their prey before the kill.
**Bandit Leader** *(a scarred, ugly bastard with missing teeth)*: "Come ON! Is this the best the Adventurers' Guild can send?! Five WEAKLINGS to protect a merchant caravan?! PATHETIC! After we finish with you, we're taking EVERYTHING! The goods! The money! And HER!" *(Points at the wounded woman)* "I'm gonna have FUN with that one before I slit her throat!"
**Adventurer 1** *(a young man with brown hair and a sword, desperately defending)*: "SHUT UP! We won't let you touch her! Not while we're still breathing!"
**Bandit Leader**: "Then STOP breathing!" *(Laughs, raises his axe—)*
And that's when **HEXIA** arrives.
---
**THE ENTRANCE**
*(Standing ovation, please! Our boy is HERE!)*
Nobody sees him coming.
Not the adventurers, who are too focused on surviving.
Not the bandits, who are too focused on killing.
Not even the NARRATOR—wait, no, I'm lying. I totally saw him. I see EVERYTHING. I'm omniscient, remember? Perks of the job.
But THEY don't see him.
Until—
**SCHWING.**
The sound of a blade leaving its sheath. A sound so fast, so CLEAN, that it almost sounds like music.
And then—
**THUD.**
A head hits the ground. Rolls. Bounces once. Twice. Settles face-up, eyes still wide with shock, mouth still open mid-laugh.
The body—headless, spurting blood like a macabre fountain—stands for a moment. Two seconds. Three. As if it hasn't realized it's dead yet.
Then it collapses.
**SILENCE.**
Everyone FREEZES. Adventurers. Bandits. Even the BIRDS stop chirping. Even the WIND stops blowing. Even the UNIVERSE pauses to say: "Oh SHIT, someone just DIED."
And there, standing in the middle of the road, sword held loosely in one hand, blood dripping from the blade—
Is
**HEXIA**.
Eighteen years old. Long black hair. Cold, empty crimson red eyes. The face of an angel carved from ice. The demeanor of someone who just killed a man the way you'd swat a fly—casually, without thought, without CARE.
He looks at the bandits.
Doesn't blink.
Doesn't smile.
Just...
LOOKS.
And the temperature drops ten degrees.
**Hexia** *(speaking calmly, coldly, without emotion)*: "You bandits should leave this area now. Please."
*(The "please" is not politeness. It's mockery. It's the verbal equivalent of a guillotine blade hovering above your neck while someone asks if you'd like to kneel voluntarily.)*
The bandits stare. Some at Hexia. Some at their friend's head. Some at the blood pooling on the ground.
**Bandit #2** *(finding his voice, trying to sound tough but failing)*: "Who the HELL are you?!"
**Hexia** *(still calm, still cold)*: "My name is none of your business. I'll ask you people again. Leave. Or else."
**Bandit Leader** *(trying to regain control, trying to save face)*: "Or else WHA—"
He doesn't finish.
Because his head is already GONE.
**SCHWING.**
Hexia moved. Nobody SAW him move. But he moved. Faster than thought. Faster than fear. Faster than the bandit could process what was happening.
The bandit leader's head hits the ground. His body—still holding the axe—sways, then falls.
**TWO HEADS.** Rolling on the ground. Eyes staring at nothing.
Hexia stands where he was before. As if he never moved. As if reality just GLITCHED and the bandit's head spontaneously decided to leave his body.
He wipes his blade on a cloth. Sheathes it halfway. Looks at the remaining bandits with those EMPTY eyes.
**Hexia** *(pausing, letting the silence BREATHE, then speaking with a voice like winter itself)*: "Or else... **HEADS. WILL. ROLL.**"
*(Narrator's note: THERE IT IS! THE LINE! THE CATCHPHRASE! THE THING YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! Does it sound COOL? Does it sound BADASS? Does it make you want to cheer?*
*GOOD. Because it's also HORRIFYING. Because Hexia just delivered it with all the emotion of someone ordering COFFEE. Because this isn't heroism. This is
EXECUTION.*
*This is what happens when you break someone so completely that they stop valuing human life—including their own.)*
---
**THE MASSACRE**
*(Or: "Why You Should NEVER Fuck With The Emotionally Dead Protagonist")*
The bandits PANIC.
"RUN!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
"SCATTER!"
But it's too LATE.
Hexia doesn't let them run. Why would he? They threatened innocents. They were going to rape and kill. They CHOSE violence.
So he gives them violence BACK.
He MOVES.
And it's BEAUTIFUL. And HORRIBLE.
He dances through them like death wearing human skin. Each movement is PRECISE. ECONOMICAL. No wasted motion. No unnecessary flourishes.
Just KILLING.
**Bandit #3** tries to block with his sword. Hexia's blade goes THROUGH the sword, through the bandit's neck, out the other side. Head rolls. Body falls.
**Bandit #4 and #5** attack from both sides. Hexia spins—ONE motion—and both heads fly off in OPPOSITE directions like synchronized swimming but with MURDER.
**Bandit #6** tries to run. Hexia throws a dagger without looking. It embeds in the bandit's spine. He collapses, paralyzed. Hexia walks over, pulls the dagger out, then drives it through the base of the skull. Mercy kill. Quick. Clean.
**Bandit #7** pisses himself. Literally. Wet stain spreading across his pants. He's CRYING. "Please! I have a family! I—"
**SCHWING.**
Head rolls.
*(Narrator's note: Did that bandit ACTUALLY have a family? Maybe. Probably. Does it MATTER? In this moment? In this STORY?*
*No.*
*Because Hexia stopped caring about nuance years ago. You threaten innocents? You die. Simple. Clean. Binary.*
*No trial. No jury. No second chances.*
*Just HEXIA.*
One by one, the bandits FALL. Blood sprays. Heads roll. Bodies collapse.
It's a SYMPHONY of violence. A BALLET of death. Hexia moves through them like a FORCE OF NATURE—implacable, inevitable, unstoppable.
The adventurers watch, frozen. They've seen combat before. They've killed before.
But THIS? This is DIFFERENT.
This isn't fighting. This is SLAUGHTER. This is ARTISTRY mixed with HORROR.
Fourteen bandits dead. Bodies littering the road. Heads scattered like macabre decorations.
Four bandits manage to ESCAPE—running down the road, disappearing into the forest, probably pissing themselves the entire way.
Hexia watches them go. Doesn't pursue. Not worth the effort. They'll spread the word. They'll tell the story. "Don't fuck with Korn Village. Don't fuck with the guy with dead eyes who cuts heads off like he's trimming flowers."
Good. Let them spread FEAR. Fear keeps people away. Fear creates PEACE.
Hexia turns back to the adventurers.
He's covered in blood. Not his—theirs. It drips from his sword, his hands, his face.
He looks like something out of a NIGHTMARE. Or a LEGEND. Depending on your perspective.
The adventurers are STARING. Jaws open. Eyes wide. Processing what they just witnessed.
Hexia walks toward the wounded woman.
**Adventurer #1** *(the brown-haired swordsman, instincts kicking in, stepping in front of the woman)*: "WAIT! Hold it right there!"
Hexia pauses. Holds his bloodied sword loosely. Stares at the adventurer with those EMPTY EYES.
**Adventurer #1** *(nervous, terrified, but BRAVE)*: "D-don't even THINK about pointing your sword at our party member!"
Hexia stares. Doesn't speak. Just stares. Like he's evaluating whether this adventurer is a threat. (He's not.) Whether he's worth killing. (He's not—yet.)
Then Hexia slowly, deliberately, sheathes his sword.
Raises his hands. Palms out. Universal sign of "I'm not a threat."
**Hexia** *(speaking coldly, emotionlessly)*: "I'm sorry. But it's not my intention to harm one of your party members. I just want to help her. I can heal her."
**Adventurer #1** *(not lowering his sword, not trusting this MONSTER who just killed fourteen people)*: "I don't trust you. How can I be SURE you're not gonna harm our party member?"
Hexia doesn't answer with words.
Instead, he WALKS. Slowly. Casually. Hands still raised. Directly toward the adventurer pointing a sword at him.
The adventurers TENSE. Prepare to fight. This is it. They're going to die. This psychopath is going to kill them just like he killed those bandits.
Hexia keeps walking.
Closer.
Closer.
Until the TIP of the adventurer's sword is pressed against Hexia's THROAT. Right against the jugular. One thrust and he's DEAD.
Hexia stops.
Looks the adventurer in the eyes.
And SLOWLY closes his own.
**Hexia** *(speaking calmly, almost peacefully)*: "If you do not trust what I've just said, then please—do it. Cut my head off."
**SILENCE.**
The adventurer's sword TREMBLES. His hand shakes.
*(Adventurer #1's internal monologue: What the HELL is happening?! Is he CRAZY?! Does he WANT to die?! He could kill us ALL! Easily! He just proved that! But he's not! He's just... standing there! OFFERING his neck! What kind of person—)*
*(A pause.)*
*(Oh.)*
*(Oh no.)*
*(He's not crazy. He's just... broken. So broken that he doesn't even value his own life. He'd rather DIE than be mistrusted. He'd rather PROVE his intent through vulnerability than through violence.)*
*(What the FUCK happened to this guy?)*
The adventurer lowers his sword.
**Adventurer #1** *(voice shaking)*: "Okay. Okay, I'll... I'll let you heal her. But if you do ANYTHING—if you hurt her in ANY way—you'll pay for it. You hear me?"
**Hexia** *(opening his eyes, something almost like WARMTH flickering in them—almost, but not quite)*: "Yes. I'll gladly give up my life if I try anything suspicious."
He walks past the adventurers. Kneels beside the wounded woman.
She's beautiful. Silver hair. Blue eyes wide with pain and shock. Blood seeping from a deep gash in her side.
She looks at Hexia. At his blood-covered face. At his empty eyes.
And she SHOULD be terrified. She just watched him BUTCHER fourteen men. She should be screaming.
But she's not.
Because something in his eyes—beneath the emptiness—is... sad. Lonely.
LOST.
Hexia places his right palm on her forehead.
**Hexia** *(speaking softly, almost gently)*: "**Heal.**"
No chant. No magic circle. No elaborate ritual.
Just ONE WORD.
And golden light FLOODS from his palm. Warm. Bright. Beautiful.
The wound in her side CLOSES. The pain FADES. Color returns to her face.
The adventurers GASP.
**Adventurer #2** *(whispering)*: "He... he didn't chant. He didn't CHANT. You need to chant healing spells! That's BASIC magic theory! How—"
**Adventurer #3**: "And that power! That LEVEL of healing! That's at least B-rank magic! Maybe A-rank! But he looks so YOUNG!"
**Adventurer #4**: "Who IS this guy?!"
Hexia finishes healing. Removes his hand. Stands.
Turns to walk away without a WORD.
**Woman Adventurer** *(finding her voice, calling out)*: "Wait! Please!"
Hexia pauses. His back still turned.
**Woman Adventurer** *(standing now, fully healed, breathless)*: "My name is **Sirenia**. Please—may I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
Hexia doesn't turn. Doesn't look at her.
Just speaks. Flat. Emotionless.
**Hexia**: "Hexia."
And then he walks away. Back to the village. Back to his empty house. Back to his lonely existence.
Leaving behind a road full of corpses, a group of STUNNED adventurers, and one woman whose heart just decided—without her permission—to fall COMPLETELY and UTTERLY in love.
---
**[NARRATOR INTERVENTION - BECAUSE WE NEED TO TALK]**
Oh. OH NO.
Did you SEE that?! Did you CATCH it?!
Sirenia just IMPRINTED on him like a baby duck! One look at his sad, empty, blood-covered face and her brain went: "THAT ONE! That's the one I want! The traumatized murder machine! The emotionally unavailable protector! The broken boy who kills without hesitation but heals without asking for thanks! THAT'S MY TYPE!"
*(Narrator's note: Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is what we call "red flags looking like green flags when you're wearing rose-colored glasses." Or in Sirenia's case, when you're suffering from acute blood loss and your brain is interpreting "saved my life" as "soulmate material."*
*Is it romantic? Is it concerning? Is it BOTH?*
*Yes. The answer is yes.)*
And Hexia? Our boy Hexia?
He has NO IDEA. None. Zero. Zilch.
Because he's so emotionally DEAD inside that he can't recognize when someone is looking at him like he hung the MOON.
This is gonna be FUN. And by "fun," I mean "emotionally devastating for everyone involved."
BUCKLE UP, MY LITTLE DEVILS! The ride's about to get BUMPY!
---
**BACK IN KORN VILLAGE**
What Hexia DIDN'T know—because he's too busy being emotionally constipated—is that the merchant caravan and the five C-rank adventurers he just saved were ALSO headed to Korn Village.
Because of COURSE they were.
Because the universe is a COMEDIAN and it loves IRONY.
So later that day, after the adventurers caught their breath and the merchants cleaned up their scattered goods and everyone processed the TRAUMA of watching a teenager casually behead fourteen people—they continued to Korn Village.
And as the caravan passes through the village entrance, guess what they see?
**HEXIA.** Training. Alone. In his yard.
His movements are SUBLIME. Every strike PRECISE. Every step CALCULATED. The rhythm and flow of his swordwork like watching a master pianist play a concerto—beautiful, flawless, and somehow deeply SAD.
Sirenia stops WALKING. Just... stops. Stares.
Her party members notice.
**Adventurer #2**: "Uh, Sirenia? You okay?"
She doesn't answer. Can't answer. Too busy watching Hexia train. Too busy memorizing every movement. Too busy feeling her heart do THINGS it shouldn't be doing.
Hexia notices her staring. Glances at her. Makes eye contact for ONE SECOND.
Then goes back to training.
And that ONE SECOND of eye contact? That was enough. That sealed it.
Sirenia is GONE. Completely. Utterly. Hopelessly.
*(Narrator's note: First-degree murder? Not a turn-off for Sirenia. Cold emotional distance? ATTRACTIVE apparently. Social isolation and trauma? That's just MYSTERIOUS.*
*This woman has a TYPE, and that type is "projects who need therapy but will never get it."*
*Respect the hustle, I guess?)*
---
**THE NEXT FIFTEEN DAYS: A MONTAGE OF PINING**
*(Because we need to speed this up and GET to the good stuff!)*
The merchant caravan stays in Korn Village for FIFTEEN DAYS. Standard procedure—rest, trade, resupply, let the adventurers recover.
And for those fifteen days, Sirenia does what any sane person in love would do:
She STALKS HIM.
Okay, "stalking" is a strong word. Let's call it... persistent romantic pursuit. Aggressive courtship. Boundary-challenged affection.
**Day 1**: She watches him train. He ignores her.
**Day 2**: She tries to start a conversation. He gives one-word answers.
**Day 3**: She brings him food. He accepts it politely but doesn't invite her to stay.
**Day 4**: She asks to train with him. He declines.
**Day 5-11**: Repeat Days 1-4 with slight variations. She's DETERMINED. He's UNMOVED.
**Day 12**: She realizes she's running out of time. They leave in THREE DAYS. She needs to DO something. Something BOLD.
So on **Day 12**, she goes to Hexia's house. Knocks on the door.
The door opens.
And there's **HEXIA**. Shirtless. Sweaty. Fresh from training.
Sirenia's brain BLUESCREENS.
**Sirenia's Internal Systems**: *ERROR. ERROR. TOO MUCH ATTRACTIVE. CANNOT PROCESS. INITIATING EMERGENCY BLUSH PROTOCOL. LEGS WEAK. KNEES SPAGHETTI.*
Her face turns CRIMSON. Her eyes go WIDE. She sways on her feet.
**Hexia** *(oblivious, concerned)*: "Are you okay? You look ill."
**Sirenia** *(barely breathing)*: "I'm... you're... shirt... abs... I..."
**Hexia** *(still oblivious)*: "Do you need water? Should I get my mother?"
Sirenia FAINTS.
Not from illness. From THIRST. The metaphorical kind. And maybe a little from the blood rushing from her brain to her face.
Hexia catches her before she hits the ground. Because of COURSE he does. Because he's a gentleman even when he's emotionally dead.
He carries her inside. Lays her on the couch. Gets water.
Marie (Hexia's mother) sees this and GRINS. Because mothers KNOW. They always know.
**Marie** *(whispering to Jerkin)*: "He has NO IDEA, does he?"
**Jerkin** *(grinning)*: "None whatsoever. This is DELIGHTFUL."
---
**DAY 13: THE CHALLENGE**
*(Because Sirenia has decided subtlety is for COWARDS!)*
Sirenia has a PLAN. A desperate, slightly insane plan.
She's going to CHALLENGE Hexia. Publicly. In front of the whole village.
Why? Because if she can't get his attention through conversation, she'll get it through COMBAT.
So she marches to Hexia's house. Finds him training (as always). And in front of a growing crowd of curious villagers, she
ANNOUNCES:
**Sirenia** *(loudly, boldly, channeling every ounce of protagonist energy she has)*: "HEXIA! I challenge you to a duel!"
The villagers GASP. Hexia stops mid-swing.
**Hexia** *(turning, confused)*: "A duel? Why?"
**Sirenia**: "Hand-to-hand combat! No swords! And if I LOSE, you have to teach me swordplay for SIX MONTHS! But if I WIN, you have to accompany me and my party on our adventures!"
*(Narrator's note: These are TERRIBLE terms. Win-win for her, lose-lose for him. She gets six months of training OR gets him to join her party. He gets... what? The satisfaction of refusing? WEAK.)*
**Hexia** *(politely, respectfully)*: "I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I'm not interested in—"
Sirenia doesn't let him finish.
She LAUNCHES herself at him.
**PUNCH!** Aimed at his face.
Hexia dodges. Barely. More surprised than threatened.
**KICK!** Aimed at his ribs.
Hexia sidesteps. Graceful. Efficient.
**ANOTHER PUNCH! ANOTHER KICK!** A FLURRY of attacks!
And Hexia... doesn't fight back. Not really.
He EVADES. Dodges. Slips around her attacks like water flowing around stones.
When she gets too close, he gently REDIRECTS her momentum. Touches her shoulder to spin her away. Catches her wrist to stop a punch, then releases it immediately.
It's not a FIGHT.
It's a DANCE.
The villagers watch, MESMERIZED. Because it's BEAUTIFUL. Two people moving in perfect synchronization. Her attacking, him evading, both of them flowing together like choreography.
**Villager #1**: "It's like watching a performance!"
**Villager #2**: "Are they fighting or FLIRTING?!"
**Villager #3**: "YES."
Sirenia is GRINNING. Even though she's not landing a single hit. Even though he's clearly holding back. Because he's ENGAGING with her. He's PRESENT. For the first time since she met him, he's not distant. He's HERE.
And then Hexia realizes they've attracted a CROWD. The entire village is watching.
He gets EMBARRASSED.
**Hexia** *(panicking internally)*: *Oh no. Oh NO. Everyone's WATCHING. This is a scene. This is ATTENTION. I don't want ATTENTION!*
He makes a split-second decision.
He grabs Sirenia—gently, carefully—and **PULLS her into his house**. Closes the door behind them.
Cutting off the crowd's view.
Leaving the villagers outside, DISAPPOINTED that the show ended.
But inside the house, Hexia realizes he's made a MISTAKE.
Because in his panic to escape the crowd, he's now **HUGGING SIRENIA**.
Her face is pressed against his chest. His arms are around her. They're CLOSE. Too close. Intimately close.
**SILENCE.**
They both freeze.
**Sirenia** *(muffled against his chest, her heart POUNDING)*: "Um. Hexia?"
**Hexia** *(realizing what he's doing, his face turning BRIGHT RED)*: "I—I'm sorry! I didn't mean—I was just—"
He releases her. Steps back. Can't look her in the eyes.
His face is CRIMSON. He's FLUSTERED. For the first time in YEARS, he's showing genuine, unfiltered EMOTION.
Embarrassment. Nervousness. HUMANITY.
Sirenia stares at him. At his red face. At his inability to make eye contact.
And she SMILES. The warmest, most genuine smile.
**Sirenia** *(softly, teasingly)*: "You're cute when you're like that, you know."
Hexia's brain STOPS WORKING.
"Cute." She called him CUTE. Nobody's called him cute since he was a CHILD. Nobody's looked at him with that expression—warm, affectionate, FOND—in YEARS.
He doesn't know how to PROCESS this.
And that's when—
**LAUGHTER.**
From deeper in the house.
Hexia and Sirenia turn to see **MARIE and JERKIN** standing in the hallway, watching, GRINNING like fools.
**Marie** *(barely containing her laughter)*: "Oh, don't mind us! Please, continue!"
**Jerkin** *(full-on laughing)*: "SON! You HUGGED HER! Without asking! That's very forward of you!"
**Hexia** *(mortified)*: "I DIDN'T MEAN TO! It was an ACCIDENT!"
**Marie**: "An ACCIDENT? You PULLED her into the house!"
**Jerkin**: "And then EMBRACED her!"
**Hexia**: "I WAS TRYING TO ESCAPE THE CROWD!"
**Marie**: "By HUGGING a woman?!"
**Hexia**: "IT WASN'T—I DIDN'T—"
They're LAUGHING. His parents—who've watched him be cold and distant for YEARS—are LAUGHING. With genuine joy. Genuine warmth.
Because they're seeing their SON again. The real one. Not the empty shell. Not the ghost. The PERSON beneath the trauma.
And outside, the villagers HEAR the laughter from inside the house.
They've NEVER heard Hexia laugh. Never heard genuine joy from his home in years.
And they start CHEERING.
**Villagers** *(chanting)*: "HEXIA! HEXIA! HEXIA!"
Someone starts playing music. Someone else brings out ale. Food appears. Torches are lit.
An impromptu FESTIVAL breaks out.
Because the village has watched this boy suffer in silence for years. And now—FINALLY—they're seeing him experience something other than emptiness.
They don't care about the duel. They care about HIM.
The celebration continues into the NIGHT. People gathering near Hexia's house. Bringing food and drinks. Dancing. Singing.
Like it's a FESTIVAL. A celebration of LIFE. Of JOY. Of hope that maybe—just MAYBE—their sad, empty protector might find happiness.
---
**THAT NIGHT**
After the impromptu festival dies down and the villagers stumble home, drunk and happy—
Sirenia visits again.
She knocks. Hexia opens the door.
And for the first time in THREE YEARS, Hexia voluntarily steps OUTSIDE to talk to someone who isn't his parents.
They sit in the yard. Under the stars.
**Sirenia**: "Thank you. For today."
**Hexia**: "I should be apologizing. I pulled you into my house. I... hugged you. Without permission."
**Sirenia** *(smiling)*: "I'm not complaining."
**Hexia**: "..."
**Sirenia**: "Can I ask you something?"
**Hexia**: "...Yes."
**Sirenia**: "Why are you so sad?"
**SILENCE.**
Hexia doesn't answer for a long time.
**Hexia** *(finally)*: "I chose peace. Over everything else. Over connections. Over risk. Over... feelings. I thought if I could just be safe, if I could just avoid pain, I'd be okay."
**Sirenia**: "But you're not okay."
**Hexia**: "No. I'm not. But I'm peaceful. And that's what I wanted."
**Sirenia**: "Is it? Is that REALLY what you want?"
**Hexia**: "..."
**Sirenia** *(standing, looking at the stars)*: "I think you're lying to yourself. I think you chose peace because you were hurt. And I think you're still hurting. You just don't let anyone see it."
**Hexia**: "Why do you care? You barely know me."
**Sirenia** *(turning to look at him)*: "Because when I look at you, I see someone who's drowning. And everyone else is just watching. Or worse—they don't even notice. But I notice. And I'm not going to just walk away."
**Hexia**: "You should. I'm not worth the effort."
**Sirenia**: "That's not your decision to make."
*(She kneels in front of him, forcing eye contact.)*
"You saved my life. You healed me. You didn't have to. You could have walked away. But you didn't. So now I'm returning the favor. I'm not giving up on you. Even if you've given up on yourself."
**Hexia** *(voice cracking slightly)*: "Why?"
**Sirenia** *(smiling sadly)*: "Because someone needs to."
She stands. Walks to the gate.
**Sirenia** *(turning back)*: "We're leaving tomorrow. But I'm coming back. Soon. And when I do, I'm dragging you out of this village. Out of this isolation. Whether you like it or not."
**Hexia**: "..."
**Sirenia**: "That's a promise. So don't get too comfortable in
your peaceful prison. Because I'm breaking you OUT."
And she leaves.
Hexia sits there. Alone. Under the stars.
For the first time in years, something STIRS in his chest. Not quite warmth. Not quite hope. But... something. A tiny crack in the ice. A hairline fracture in the wall he's built around himself.
**Hexia** *(whispering to himself)*: "She's going to be disappointed."
But despite saying that, despite BELIEVING that—
He smiles.
Just a little.
Just for a moment.
But it's REAL.
*(Narrator's note: And THAT, my little devils, is what we call "character development." Glacially slow. Painful. But HAPPENING. Hexia is starting to thaw. Starting to feel. Starting to remember what it's like to be human.*
*Will it last? Will it be enough? Will Sirenia's determination be strong enough to crack through years of trauma?*
*Fuck if I know! I'm just the narrator! But it's gonna be FUN finding out!)*
---
**TIME SKIP: SIX MONTHS LATER**
*(Because we need to get to the GOOD STUFF and I'm tired of slow-burn romance! Let's BURN THE BARN DOWN!)*
Sirenia kept her promise.
She came back. **Multiple times**. Every few weeks when her party passed through the region.
Each visit, she'd stay for a few days. Training with Hexia. Talking with him. Slowly, methodically, patiently CHIPPING AWAY at his walls.
And slowly—VERY slowly—Hexia started to... open up. Just a little. Just enough.
He taught her swordplay. She taught him how to smile again.
He showed her his techniques. She showed him that connection didn't have to mean pain.
It wasn't romance. Not yet. But it was... something. A friendship. A bond. A tiny, fragile thread connecting two broken people.
And then—
**ONE FATEFUL DAY.**
*(Because this story LOVES fateful days!)*
Sirenia's party is passing through a town called **Briarkeep**—a mid-sized trading hub about three days' journey from Korn Village.
They stop at a tavern called **The Rusty Blade**. Standard adventurer establishment. Decent ale. Questionable meat pies. Stale bread. The usual.
Sirenia and her party find a table. Order food. Prepare to relax after a successful quest.
And that's when she HEARS it.
A familiar voice. From across the tavern.
A woman's voice. Frustrated. Angry. HURT.
**"I can't BELIEVE you, Fred! After everything I've done! After all these YEARS!"**
Sirenia's head SNAPS up.
She knows that voice.
**Lhoralaine.**
---
**THE CONFRONTATION: PART ONE**
*(Or: "When Your Ex's Ex Becomes Plot-Relevant")*
Sirenia looks across the tavern and sees them.
**Lhoralaine** and **Fred**. Sitting at a corner table. Arguing. Loudly enough that other patrons are starting to notice and shift uncomfortably.
Lhoralaine looks... different. Older, obviously—she's twenty now, same as Hexia. But also TIRED. There are dark circles under her eyes. Her hair—once shining and well-kept—is dull, pulled back in a hasty ponytail. Her adventuring gear is worn.
And Fred? Fred looks SMUG. Relaxed. Comfortable. Like a man who knows he's in control and is ENJOYING the other person's distress.
**Fred** *(speaking with false patience, the tone you'd use with a child)*: "Lhora, you're being HYSTERICAL. I told you—she was just a quest-giver. There's nothing between us."
**Lhoralaine** *(voice shaking with suppressed rage)*: "She was SITTING in your LAP, Fred! Her hands were in your HAIR! You were LAUGHING together!"
**Fred** *(sighing dramatically)*: "So I can't be FRIENDLY now? I can't have female friends? Are you that INSECURE?"
**Lhoralaine**: "Insecure?! INSECURE?! You've been—you've been DISTANT for MONTHS! You barely touch me anymore! You don't look at me the way you used to! And now I find you with—with HER—"
**Fred**: "You're PARANOID, Lhoralaine. Seeing things that aren't there. Maybe you should take a break from adventuring. The stress is clearly getting to you."
**Lhoralaine** *(tears forming)*: "Don't—don't GASLIGHT me, Fred! I KNOW what I saw!"
**Fred** *(his mask slipping slightly, irritation showing)*: "Then what do you want me to SAY, Lhoralaine? That I'm bored? That you've become CLINGY and NEEDY? That every day with you feels like DROWNING?!"
*(He catches himself. Softens his tone. Puts the mask back on.)*
"I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. I'm just stressed from the quest. Let's—let's talk about this later, okay?"
*(He reaches for her hand. She JERKS it away.)*
**Lhoralaine**: "No. No, I'm DONE. I'm done with 'later.' I'm done with excuses. I'm done with feeling like I'm going CRAZY because you tell me one thing and do ANOTHER!"
Sirenia watches this unfold with growing HORROR. Because she KNOWS this dynamic. She's SEEN this before. In her own family. Her mother and her father. Before the divorce. Before her father left.
Manipulation. Gaslighting. Emotional abuse disguised as love.
**Adventurer #2** *(whispering to Sirenia)*: "Should we... do something?"
**Sirenia** *(jaw clenched)*: "Not yet. Let's see how this plays out."
And that's when Lhoralaine says something that makes Sirenia's blood run COLD.
**Lhoralaine** *(voice breaking)*: "Sometimes I wish—I wish I'd never left. I wish I'd stayed. With HIM. With Hexia."
**SILENCE.**
Fred's expression DARKENS. His mask doesn't just slip—it SHATTERS.
**Fred** *(voice low, dangerous)*: "What did you just say?"
**Lhoralaine** *(realizing she said that out loud, but too angry to take it back)*: "You heard me. Hexia. Maybe I made the wrong choice. Maybe I should have—"
**Fred** *(standing abruptly, his chair screeching back)*: "HEXIA?! You're bringing up HEXIA NOW?! That COWARD who abandoned us?! Who chose to HIDE in his village like a PATHETIC HERMIT?!"
**Lhoralaine** *(also standing)*: "He's not pathetic! He's—"
**Fred**: "He's NOTHING! He's a FAILURE who gave up! Who let US go because he was too SCARED to fight for what he wanted!"
**Lhoralaine**: "Maybe he LET me go because he actually CARED about my happiness! Unlike YOU, who just—"
And that's when **SIRENIA** stands up.
She's HEARD ENOUGH.
---
**SIRENIA ENTERS THE CHAT**
*(Stage direction: Dramatic music. Lighting shift. Camera pan. Everyone in the tavern turns to look.)*
**Sirenia** *(voice clear, sharp, cutting through the argument)*: "Excuse me. Did you just say HEXIA?"
Lhoralaine and Fred both FREEZE. Turn.
Lhoralaine sees a woman—beautiful, silver-haired, blue-eyed, radiating confidence and barely-contained FURY.
Fred sees a THREAT.
**Fred** *(recovering, putting his "charming adventurer" mask back on)*: "I'm sorry, miss, but this is a PRIVATE conversation—"
**Sirenia** *(ignoring Fred, walking toward them, eyes locked on Lhoralaine)*: "You said Hexia. Hexia from Korn Village. Black hair. Incredibly skilled swordsman. Emotionally constipated. Terrible at expressing feelings. That Hexia?"
**Lhoralaine** *(confused, defensive)*: "Yes? How do you—"
**Sirenia** *(stopping in front of their table, a SMILE spreading across her face—not a friendly smile, a PREDATORY one)*: "Oh, this is PERFECT. This is DELICIOUS. You're Lhoralaine, aren't you? His childhood friend. The girl he was in love with."
**Lhoralaine** *(stunned)*: "How do you KNOW that?"
**Sirenia**: "Because he told me. Well, not directly—Hexia doesn't DO 'directly.' But his mother did. Sweet woman. Very chatty. LOVES to tell stories about her son's tragic past. About the girl he loved. About the FRIEND—" *(She spits the word like poison)* "—who manipulated them both."
She turns her gaze to **FRED**. And the smile drops. Her eyes turn ICE COLD.
**Sirenia**: "You must be Fred. The piece of SHIT I've heard SO much about."
**Fred** *(bristling)*: "Now wait just a—"
**Sirenia** *(cutting him off)*: "Shut UP. Adults are talking. Lhoralaine, let me tell you something about Hexia. Something you clearly DON'T know."
**Lhoralaine** *(whispering)*: "What?"
**Sirenia**: "He's not pathetic. He's not a coward. He's not HIDING. He's SURVIVING. He's surviving the trauma of losing YOU. Of watching the person he loved choose someone else. Of sacrificing his own happiness because he thought YOU were happy."
*(She steps closer.)*
"And you know what the WORST part is? He STILL cares about you. Even after all these years. Even after you BROKE him. He warned you about Fred, didn't he? When you visited three years ago?"
**Lhoralaine** *(tears forming)*: "He... yes. He said to be careful. I didn't understand—"
**Sirenia**: "Of COURSE you didn't! Because you were too busy being IN LOVE with the illusion Fred created! Too busy believing the LIE! Well, CONGRATULATIONS! How's that working out for you? Hm? Is he treating you well? Is he FAITHFUL? Is he the perfect partner he pretended to be?"
**Lhoralaine** *(voice breaking)*: "I—"
**Sirenia**: "That's what I THOUGHT. And now—NOW—after YEARS of being with this manipulative ASSHOLE, after YEARS of ignoring the red flags, after YEARS of making Hexia suffer because YOU made the wrong choice—NOW you have the AUDACITY to say you wish you'd stayed with him?!"
She LAUGHS. Cold. Bitter. FURIOUS.
**Sirenia**: "Let me tell you something about Hexia. Something you DON'T deserve to know but I'm going to tell you ANYWAY. He's MINE now."
**SILENCE.**
The ENTIRE tavern is watching now.
**Lhoralaine** *(stunned)*: "What?"
**Sirenia** *(leaning in, voice low and DANGEROUS)*: "I said he's MINE. I've spent the last six months breaking down his walls. Making him smile. Making him FEEL again. Reminding him that he's not alone. That he's not broken beyond repair. That he DESERVES happiness. And you know what? It's WORKING. He's starting to let me in. Starting to trust. Starting to HEAL."
*(She straightens up, crosses her arms.)*
"So you DON'T get to waltz back into his life after breaking his heart. You DON'T get to decide NOW that you made a mistake. You DON'T get him. Not anymore. YOU made your choice. You chose FRED. So LIVE with it."
**Lhoralaine** *(anger flaring, standing)*: "You don't GET to tell me what I can or can't do! I've known Hexia since we were CHILDREN! I trained with him! I—I LOVED him!"
**Sirenia** *(getting in her face)*: "LOVED?! PAST TENSE?! You LOVED him?! Then WHERE WERE YOU for the past five years?! Where were you when he was ALONE?! Where were you when he was DYING inside?! You were with FRED! Living your ADVENTURER DREAM! While Hexia rotted in isolation!"
**Lhoralaine** *(voice rising)*: "I didn't KNOW! I didn't know he was hurting!"
**Sirenia**: "BULLSHIT! His MOTHER knew! The entire VILLAGE knew! YOU knew! You just didn't CARE enough to do anything about it!"
**Lhoralaine**: "That's NOT TRUE!"
**Sirenia**: "ISN'T IT?! Then prove it! Tell me—when was the last time you visited him? When was the last time you TRIED to reconnect? When was the last time you put HIS needs before YOUR relationship with this MANIPULATIVE BASTARD?!"
**Lhoralaine** *(tears streaming)*: "I—I thought he WANTED to be alone! I thought—"
**Sirenia**: "You thought what was CONVENIENT to think! You CHOSE to believe he was fine because it was EASIER than admitting you ABANDONED him!"
**Lhoralaine** *(voice breaking into a SCREAM)*: "I DIDN'T ABANDON HIM!"
**Sirenia** *(screaming back)*: "YES, YOU DID!"
And that's when it happens.
Lhoralaine **SLAPS** Sirenia across the face.
**CRACK.**
The sound echoes through the tavern.
Sirenia's head snaps to the side. Her cheek BURNS. A red handprint blooms across her pale skin.
**SILENCE.**
Every person in the tavern holds their breath.
Sirenia slowly—VERY slowly—turns her head back. Looks at Lhoralaine.
And **SMILES**.
**Sirenia** *(voice calm, almost CHEERFUL)*: "Oh. OH. So that's how we're doing this? Physical violence? I can work with that."
She **PUNCHES** Lhoralaine in the face.
**CRACK.**
Lhoralaine stumbles back, crashes into the table, falls to the floor.
---
**THE CATFIGHT**
*(Or: "When Two Women Fight Over A Man Who Doesn't Know He's Being Fought Over")*
The tavern ERUPTS.
Half the patrons are shouting encouragement. The other half are trying to place bets. The bartender is yelling for them to take it outside. Nobody's listening.
Lhoralaine wipes blood from her split lip. Looks at Sirenia with FURY.
**Lhoralaine**: "You BITCH!"
She launches herself at Sirenia. They COLLIDE. Go crashing into another table. Mugs fly. Food spills. Chaos REIGNS.
They're GRAPPLING. Hair-pulling. Scratching. Punching. Rolling across the floor.
**Sirenia** *(while wrestling)*: "He's! MINE! You! Had! Your! CHANCE!"
**Lhoralaine** *(punching back)*: "I! LOVED! Him! FIRST!"
**Sirenia**: "PAST! TENSE! AGAIN! You! DON'T! Love! Him! NOW!"
**Lhoralaine**: "HOW! WOULD! YOU! KNOW?!"
**Sirenia**: "BECAUSE! IF! YOU! DID! YOU! WOULDN'T! BE! WITH! FRED!"
They break apart. Stand. Circle each other like WOLVES.
**Lhoralaine** *(breathing hard)*: "You don't know ANYTHING about me! About us! About what we had!"
**Sirenia**: "I know ENOUGH! I know you're in a toxic relationship! I know you're UNHAPPY! I know you're only thinking about Hexia NOW because your current relationship is FALLING APART!"
**Lhoralaine**: "That's NOT—"
**Sirenia**: "Save it! You're a REBOUND thought! A 'what if' fantasy! You don't actually want Hexia! You just want to escape FRED!"
**Lhoralaine** *(voice cracking)*: "That's not TRUE! I've thought about him EVERY DAY! I've regretted my choice EVERY SINGLE DAY! I just—I didn't know how to go back! How to FIX it!"
**Sirenia**: "So your solution is to wait until YOUR relationship is shit, THEN go back to Hexia?! Use him as your emotional safety net?! You think that's FAIR to him?!"
**Lhoralaine**: "I LOVE HIM!"
**Sirenia**: "NO, YOU DON'T! You love the IDEA of him! You love the MEMORY! You love the version of him that existed BEFORE you broke his heart! But that person is GONE! Hexia is DIFFERENT now! He's cold! He's distant! He's—"
**Lhoralaine**: "He's broken! And it's MY FAULT! I KNOW THAT! I know I destroyed him! I know I made the wrong choice! And I just—I just want to FIX IT! I want to make it RIGHT!"
**Sirenia** *(voice softening slightly, but still angry)*: "You can't fix it. Some things stay broken. Some choices can't be unmade. And you don't get to decide when and how to re-enter his life just because YOUR life is falling apart!"
**Lhoralaine** *(sobbing now)*: "Then what do I DO?! I CAN'T be with Fred anymore! I can't BREATHE in this relationship! And Hexia is the only person who ever made me feel—who ever made me feel SAFE! Who ever made me feel LOVED without CONDITIONS!"
**Sirenia**: "Then you should have CHOSEN HIM! You should have seen what Fred was YEARS AGO! You should have LISTENED when Hexia warned you! But you DIDN'T! So now you don't get him! He's not your backup plan! He's not your emotional support! He's a PERSON who DESERVES better than being your second choice!"
They're both CRYING now. Tears streaming. Exhausted. Emotionally RAW.
And that's when **FRED** decides to interject.
Because of COURSE he does.
---
**FRED'S FATAL MISTAKE**
Fred has been watching this whole exchange with growing FURY. His mask has completely shattered. The "nice guy" persona is GONE. All that's left is the manipulative, possessive, CRUEL person he's always been underneath.
**Fred** *(standing, voice COLD)*: "Enough. Lhoralaine, we're LEAVING. Now."
**Lhoralaine** *(turning to him, something in her finally BREAKING)*: "No."
**Fred**: "What did you say?"
**Lhoralaine**: "I said NO. I'm not going with you. I'm DONE, Fred. We're DONE. This—whatever THIS is—it's OVER."
**Fred** *(laughing, but it's UGLY)*: "Over? OVER?! You think you can just LEAVE me?! After everything I've DONE for you?! After I SAVED you from being ALONE?!"
**Sirenia** *(stepping between them)*: "SAVED her?! You ISOLATED her! You MANIPULATED her! You made her feel CRAZY for trusting her own instincts!"
**Fred** *(ignoring Sirenia, eyes locked on Lhoralaine)*: "You're NOTHING without me, Lhora. You were a mediocre adventurer before I met you. I MADE you better. I MADE you relevant. You OWE me."
**Lhoralaine** *(voice shaking)*: "I don't owe you ANYTHING."
**Fred**: "YES, YOU DO! I spent YEARS molding you! Building you up! Making you DEPENDENT on me! You think you can just WALK AWAY?!"
*(He grabs her wrist. HARD.)*
"You're MINE, Lhoralaine. You've ALWAYS been mine. Since the moment I decided I wanted you. Since the moment I started planning how to take you away from that PATHETIC excuse for a man—"
He stops. Realizes what he just said.
**SILENCE.**
Everyone in the tavern is staring.
**Lhoralaine** *(whispering)*: "What?"
**Fred** *(realizing his mistake, trying to backtrack)*: "I didn't mean—"
**Lhoralaine**: "What did you just say? 'Take me away'? You PLANNED this?!"
**Sirenia** *(voice dangerously quiet)*: "Oh, this is GOOD. Keep talking, Fred. Keep DIGGING."
**Fred** *(cornered, desperate)*: "It wasn't like that! I just—"
**Lhoralaine** *(pulling her wrist free)*: "Tell me the TRUTH, Fred. For ONCE in your life, tell me the TRUTH. Did you—did you manipulate me? Did you plan to—to STEAL me from Hexia?!"
**Fred** *(something in him SNAPPING, all pretense GONE)*: "YES! YES, I DID! Is that what you want to hear?! I spent YEARS planning it! Years getting close to both of you! Years positioning myself as the 'good friend' while waiting for the perfect moment to strike!"
*(He's LAUGHING now. Unhinged. Manic.)*
"And it WORKED! It worked PERFECTLY! I made you fall for me! I made Hexia too COWARDLY to confess! I won WITHOUT THROWING A SINGLE PUNCH! I destroyed him WITHOUT laying a finger on him! And you—YOU—you were so EASY! So desperate to be loved! So willing to believe every LIE!"
**Lhoralaine** *(stumbling back, hand over her mouth)*: "No. No, no, no—"
**Fred**: "YES! And you want to know the BEST part?! He KNEW! Some part of him knew! That's why he warned you! That's why he told you to 'be careful'! He SAW what I was! But you didn't BELIEVE him! You chose ME anyway! So really, this is YOUR fault! You're the one who destroyed your own happiness!"
**Lhoralaine** *(collapsing into a chair, sobbing)*: "What have I DONE? Oh god, what have I DONE?"
**Sirenia** *(voice like ICE)*: "You BASTARD. You absolute MONSTER."
**Fred** *(turning to her, GRINNING)*: "And what are YOU going to do about it? You think you're SPECIAL? You think you can 'save' Hexia? You're just another naive girl who thinks she can FIX a broken man! You'll fail! Just like Lhoralaine failed! Just like EVERYONE fails!"
**Sirenia**: "No. I won't. Because unlike Lhoralaine, I'm not going to let you anywhere NEAR him. Unlike her, I see EXACTLY what you are. And unlike her—"
*(She cracks her knuckles.)*
"I'm not afraid to beat the SHIT out of you."
**Fred** *(pulling out his sword)*: "Try it, BITCH."
And that's when the tavern door **SLAMS OPEN**.
---
**HEXIA ARRIVES**
*(Stage direction: Dramatic entrance. Backlit by sunlight. Angelic choir. Or demonic—depends on your perspective.)*
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the afternoon sun—
Is
**HEXIA**.
He's traveled for three days straight. Because Sirenia sent him a message crystal. Because she told him where she was. Because she told him—without saying it directly—that she needed him.
And despite everything. Despite his isolation. Despite his emotional walls. Despite his determination to stay "peaceful"—
He came.
He looks at the scene before him.
Sirenia, bruised and bloody, facing down Fred.
Fred, sword drawn, mask shattered, TRUE self revealed.
And Lhoralaine. Sobbing. Broken. Destroyed.
Everyone turns to stare at him.
**Sirenia** *(relief flooding her face)*: "Hexia."
**Lhoralaine** *(looking up, eyes red and swollen)*: "Hexia? Is that—oh god. Hexia!"
**Fred** *(his face contorting with RAGE)*: "YOU. YOU'RE HERE?! PERFECT! PERFECT! Now I get to FINISH what I started five years ago!"
Hexia doesn't respond. Just walks into the tavern. Slowly. Calmly.
His eyes sweep the scene. Taking it all in. Processing.
He looks at Sirenia. At her injuries. At the exhaustion on her face. At the fierce, protective love in her eyes.
He looks at Lhoralaine. At her tears. At her devastation. At the realization of everything she's lost.
He looks at Fred. At the sword. At the mask finally OFF. At the TRUTH finally revealed.
And he stops.
**Hexia** *(speaking quietly, calmly)*: "Fred. Put down the sword. Walk away. Leave. And I'll let you live."
**Fred** *(laughing madly)*: "Let ME live?! Let ME LIVE?! YOU don't get to decide that! You don't get to decide ANYTHING! You LOST, Hexia! You lost HER! You lost YOUR CHANCE! You lost EVERYTHING!"
**Hexia**: "I know. I made my choices. And I live with them. But YOU—you manipulated. You lied. You destroyed. And for what? Revenge? Because I beat you up when we were CHILDREN?!"
**Fred**: "EVERYTHING! For EVERYTHING! You had everything I wanted! Talent! Strength! HER! And you didn't even APPRECIATE it! You just—you just LET IT GO! So I took it! I TOOK what should have been MINE!"
**Hexia**: "And did it make you happy?"
**PAUSE.**
Fred hesitates.
**Hexia**: "Did winning make you happy, Fred? Did destroying me bring you peace? Did stealing Lhoralaine fill the emptiness inside you?"
**Fred** *(voice cracking)*: "I—"
**Hexia**: "It didn't. Because nothing ever will. Because you're not fighting ME. You're fighting yourself. And you can't WIN that fight. No matter how many people you hurt. No matter how much you destroy. You'll always be empty."
**Fred** *(SCREAMING)*: "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! You don't get to PSYCHOANALYZE me! You don't get to—"
**Hexia** *(voice dropping, becoming COLD)*: "Last chance. Put. Down. The. Sword."
**Fred**: "NO! I'm going to KILL you! I'm going to END you! And then Lhoralaine will see—she'll see that I'm the STRONG one! That I'm the one worth—"
**Hexia** *(sighing)*: "Then I gave you a chance. Remember that."
He draws his sword.
And the temperature in the room drops TWENTY degrees.
---
**THE FINAL CONFRONTATION**
*(Or: "Why You Should NEVER Fight The Protagonist")*
Fred attacks FIRST. Lunges forward with his sword. A decent strike. C-rank technique. Competent. Practiced.
Hexia doesn't even MOVE.
The blade passes an INCH from his throat. Close enough to feel the air displacement. Not close enough to matter.
Hexia SIDESTEPS. Casually. Like dodging raindrops.
Fred spins, slashes HORIZONTALLY. Aiming for Hexia's midsection.
Hexia leans BACK. The blade passes in front of him. Misses by CENTIMETERS.
**Fred** *(frustrated)*: "STOP DODGING AND FIGHT ME!"
**Hexia**: "No."
**Fred**: "WHAT?!"
**Hexia**: "I don't want to fight you, Fred. I never did. Even now, after everything you've done—I don't want to kill you."
**Fred**: "Then you're a FOOL!"
He attacks again. FASTER. More DESPERATE. A flurry of strikes.
Hexia dodges them all. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.
Not because he's trying to show off. But because the skill gap is SO VAST that Fred might as well be swinging at a GHOST.
**Hexia**: "You were never strong, Fred. You were just CRUEL. There's a difference."
**Fred** *(SCREAMING, attacking harder)*: "I'LL SHOW YOU STRONG!"
But he's getting TIRED. His movements SLOPPY. His breathing HEAVY.
Hexia hasn't even DRAWN a full breath yet.
**Sirenia** *(whispering)*: "End it, Hexia. Please. Just end it."
Hexia looks at her. Something passes between them. Understanding. Permission. TRUST.
He turns back to Fred.
**Hexia**: "Alright. If you insist."
He finally—FINALLY—ATTACKS.
One strike.
**ONE.**
Faster than the eye can follow. Faster than thought.
Fred doesn't even SEE it coming.
His sword goes FLYING. Clatters across the room.
Fred stumbles back, disarmed, defenseless.
And Hexia is standing in front of him. Sword raised. Blade at Fred's throat.
**SILENCE.**
**Fred** *(trembling, tears streaming)*: "Please. Please don't—I didn't mean—I'm sorry! I'm SORRY! Just please don't kill me!"
**Hexia** *(voice empty)*: "I gave you a chance to leave. You chose violence. You chose this."
**Fred**: "PLEASE! I'll do anything! I'll LEAVE! I'll never come back! I'll—"
**Hexia**: "You'll do exactly what you've always done. You'll lie. You'll manipulate. You'll hurt people. Because that's what you ARE."
He looks at Lhoralaine. At her devastated face. At the years of manipulation written across her expression.
He looks at Sirenia. At her injuries. At the fierce determination in her eyes.
He looks back at Fred.
**Hexia**: "You took five years of her life. You took her happiness. You took her CHOICE. And for what? Your own AMUSEMENT? Your own EGO?"
**Fred**: "I LOVED HER! I—"
**Hexia**: "No. You didn't. You OWNED her. There's a difference."
Fred is SOBBING now. Pathetic. Broken. All his masks GONE. Just a scared, cruel little boy who finally has to face CONSEQUENCES.
**Fred**: "Then do it! DO IT! Kill me! Prove you're just as much a MONSTER as I am!"
**Hexia** *(considering)*: "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm worse. But at least I'm honest about it."
He raises his sword.
**Lhoralaine** *(standing, voice hoarse)*: "Hexia, wait—"
**Hexia**: "Stay back, Lhoralaine. You don't need to see this."
**Lhoralaine**: "But—"
**Sirenia** *(gently but firmly holding her back)*: "Let him. Fred made his choice."
**Fred** *(one last desperate attempt)*: "Lhoralaine! LHORALAINE, HELP ME! PLEASE! After everything we'VE BEEN THROUGH! PLEASE!"
**Lhoralaine** *(voice breaking)*: "After everything you PUT me through... no. No, Fred. I'm done saving you."
Fred's face CRUMPLES. Complete despair.
And Hexia speaks. One last time.
**Hexia** *(voice like winter)*: "You wanted strong, Fred? Here's strong. You insisted on this fight? Fine. You wanted violence? Here."
*(He brings the sword back, preparing for the strike.)*
"**If you insist... then HEADS. WILL. ROLL.**"
**SCHWING.**
---
**THE EXECUTION**
*(Viewer discretion advised: It's about to get MESSY.)*
The blade is PERFECT.
One clean stroke.
Fred's head separates from his body with surgical precision.
There's a MOMENT—a frozen HEARTBEAT—where everything is suspended. Where Fred's head is airborne. Where his body hasn't realized it's dead yet.
Then—
**GRAVITY.**
The head hits the floor. Rolls. Blood fountaining from the neck stump. The body collapses. Twitches once. Twice. Then STILL.
Dead.
Fred Butlix is DEAD.
The tavern is SILENT. Nobody moves. Nobody BREATHES.
Hexia stands there. Sword dripping blood. Face EMPTY.
He looks at the corpse. At the head staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
And he feels... NOTHING.
No satisfaction. No regret. No guilt. No relief.
Just... NOTHING.
*(Narrator's note: And THAT, my friends, is the tragedy. Hexia just killed a man—justified or not—and he feels NOTHING. Because he's so emotionally dead inside that even MURDER doesn't pierce the numbness.*
*Is that strength? Is that survival? Or is it just another form of death?)*
**Hexia** *(quietly, to himself)*: "Another head that rolled."
He wipes his blade on Fred's corpse. Sheathes it. Turns away.
**Lhoralaine** is FROZEN. Staring at Fred's body. At the head. At the BLOOD pooling across the tavern floor.
She should feel HORROR. She should feel GRIEF. She should feel SOMETHING for the man she spent five years with.
But all she feels is... EMPTINESS. And beneath that? Buried deep?
**Relief.**
Because it's OVER. The manipulation. The gaslighting. The suffocating control. It's DONE.
And shame. BURNING, acidic shame. Because she KNEW. Some part of her always KNEW. But she stayed. She made excuses. She let herself be FOOLED because it was easier than admitting she'd made a mistake. Easier than facing what she'd given up.
**Lhoralaine** *(voice barely a whisper)*: "Hexia, I—"
But Hexia doesn't look at her. Walks past her. Toward **SIRENIA**.
He stops in front of her. Studies her injuries. The split lip. The bruises forming. The blood.
**Hexia** *(voice soft, the first hint of EMOTION creeping in)*: "You're hurt."
**Sirenia** *(smiling despite the pain)*: "I'm fine. You should see the other girl."
*(She glances at Lhoralaine. It's not a friendly glance.)*
**Hexia**: "Let me heal you."
He raises his hand. Places it gently on her cheek. Golden light floods from his palm. Warm. Gentle. INTIMATE.
The wounds close. The bruises fade. The pain disappears.
But he doesn't remove his hand immediately. Lets it linger. Just for a moment.
And something passes between them. Something UNSPOKEN. Something that makes Sirenia's breath catch. That makes her heart POUND.
**Sirenia** *(whispering)*: "Thank you. For coming."
**Hexia**: "You called. I came. That's... that's what people do. For people they—"
He stops. Can't finish the sentence. Doesn't know HOW.
**Sirenia** *(finishing for him, voice soft)*: "For people they care about?"
**Hexia** *(meeting her eyes, and for the FIRST TIME, there's WARMTH there—small, flickering, fragile, but REAL)*: "...Yes."
Behind them, **Lhoralaine** BREAKS.
---
**LHORALAINE'S BREAKING POINT**
She's watching them. Hexia and Sirenia. The gentleness. The intimacy. The CONNECTION.
Everything she USED to have. Everything she THREW AWAY.
And it DESTROYS her.
**Lhoralaine** *(voice cracking, desperate)*: "Hexia, please. Please, I need to—I need to talk to you. I need to EXPLAIN—"
Hexia STIFFENS. His hand drops from Sirenia's face. The warmth in his eyes VANISHES. Replaced by that familiar EMPTINESS.
**Hexia** *(not turning around)*: "There's nothing to explain, Lhoralaine."
**Lhoralaine**: "YES, there IS! There's EVERYTHING! I was WRONG! I made the WORST mistake of my life! I should have—I should have CHOSEN you! I should have—"
**Hexia** *(finally turning, his voice FLAT, COLD)*: "Should have. Past tense. It's done. It's BEEN done. For five years."
**Lhoralaine** *(stepping forward, tears streaming)*: "But we can FIX it! We can—we can start OVER! I'm FREE now! Fred is—he's GONE! We can—"
**Hexia** *(laughing—a hollow, BROKEN sound)*: "Start over? START OVER?! Lhoralaine, I spent THREE YEARS trying to move on from you. Three years DYING inside. Three years choosing 'peace' because I couldn't BEAR to keep feeling what I felt. And you think—you think we can just START OVER?!"
**Lhoralaine**: "I LOVED you! I still LOVE you!"
**Hexia**: "No. You don't. You love the MEMORY. You love the IDEA. You love what I REPRESENTED—safety, comfort, the 'good choice' you didn't make. But you don't love ME. You don't even KNOW me anymore."
**Lhoralaine**: "That's not TRUE—"
**Hexia**: "ISN'T IT?! Tell me, Lhoralaine—do you know what I've become? Do you know what choosing 'peace' did to me? Do you know that I can KILL without feeling ANYTHING? That I can watch a man's head roll across the floor and feel NOTHING?!"
*(His voice is rising, EMOTION finally breaking through the cracks.)*
"Do you know that I've been EMPTY for YEARS?! That every day feels like EXISTING instead of LIVING?! That I smile at my parents and it's a PERFORMANCE?! That I help villagers and it's MECHANICAL?! That I SURVIVE but I'm not ALIVE?!"
**Lhoralaine** *(sobbing)*: "Then let me HELP you! Let me—"
**Hexia**: "HELP me?! You want to HELP me?! WHERE WERE YOU?! Where were you when I was drowning?! Where were you when I was shutting down?! Where were you when I needed someone—ANYONE—to tell me it was okay to feel?!"
*(He's SHAKING now. Years of suppressed emotion FLOODING out.)*
"You were with FRED! You were living YOUR life! You were HAPPY—or pretending to be! You CHOSE him! You chose the LIE over the TRUTH! You chose COMFORT over—over—"
His voice BREAKS.
**Hexia** *(voice cracking, tears forming)*: "You chose him over me. And I RESPECTED that. I ACCEPTED that. I let you GO because I thought—I thought you were HAPPY. I thought I was doing the RIGHT thing. I thought—"
He stops. Wipes his eyes roughly. Forces the emotion back DOWN. Back into the box. Back into the VOID.
**Hexia** *(voice flat again, dead again)*: "But you weren't happy. You were MISERABLE. And you didn't CHOOSE to come back to me. You didn't CHOOSE to fix things. You only thought about me NOW because your relationship FAILED. Because you needed an ESCAPE. Because I'm your BACKUP PLAN."
**Lhoralaine**: "NO! That's not—"
**Hexia**: "Yes. It is. And I REFUSE to be someone's second choice. I refuse to be the consolation prize. I refuse to be the safe option you run to when everything else falls APART."
**Lhoralaine** *(dropping to her knees, SOBBING)*: "Please! PLEASE! I'm BEGGING you! I'll do ANYTHING! I'll—I'll PROVE it! I'll prove that I love you! I'll—"
**Hexia**: "I don't WANT your proof. I don't WANT your love. Not anymore. You're FIVE YEARS too late, Lhoralaine. I've MOVED ON."
He turns back to Sirenia. Looks at her. And something in his expression SOFTENS. Just slightly. Just enough.
**Hexia**: "Let's go. We're done here."
**Sirenia** *(nodding, taking his hand)*: "Yes. Let's go."
They walk toward the door.
And **Lhoralaine** SCREAMS.
---
**LHORALAINE'S DESPERATION**
**Lhoralaine** *(standing, voice DESPERATE, BROKEN)*: "NO! NO, YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE! YOU CAN'T JUST—"
She RUNS after them. Grabs Hexia's arm.
**Lhoralaine**: "I WON'T LET YOU GO! I WON'T! I CAN'T! You're the ONLY person who ever—who ever made me feel SAFE! Who ever made me feel LOVED! Who ever—"
**Hexia** *(pulling his arm free, voice ICE COLD)*: "Then you should have CHOSEN me. But you didn't. So now you don't GET me."
**Lhoralaine**: "I'LL CHANGE! I'll be BETTER! I'll—"
**Hexia**: "I don't WANT you to change. I don't want ANYTHING from you. I just want—"
*(He pauses. Looks at her. Really LOOKS at her. At the desperation. The pain. The REGRET.)*
"I just want you to be happy. Even if it's not with me. Even if it HURTS. I want you to find someone who deserves you. Someone who CHOOSES you first. Not as a backup. Not as revenge. But because they genuinely LOVE you."
**Lhoralaine** *(voice breaking)*: "But that person is YOU! It's ALWAYS been you!"
**Hexia**: "No. It's not. Not anymore. That version of me is DEAD. I killed him. I had to. To survive."
**Lhoralaine**: "Then I'll love THIS version! I'll love WHATEVER version you are! I don't CARE! I just—I just need YOU!"
**Hexia**: "You need THERAPY, Lhoralaine. Not me. You need to heal. To process. To figure out who you are WITHOUT someone else defining you. You spent five years being what FRED wanted. Don't spend the next five being what you THINK I want."
**Lhoralaine**: "But I KNOW what you want! You want—"
**Hexia**: "PEACE. I want PEACE. And you—being near you—it's NOT peaceful. It HURTS. It reminds me of everything I lost. Everything I can never get BACK. So please. PLEASE. For BOTH our sakes. Let me GO."
**Lhoralaine** *(falling to her knees again, voice barely a whisper)*: "I can't. I can't let you go. Not again. I WON'T make that mistake again."
**Hexia** *(looking down at her, something almost like PITY in his eyes)*: "Then I'm sorry. Because I'm not giving you a choice this time."
He turns. Walks away. Sirenia at his side.
And Lhoralaine stays on the floor. Sobbing. Broken.
**Lhoralaine** *(screaming after them)*: "I'LL FOLLOW YOU! I'LL FIND YOU! I WON'T GIVE UP! I WON'T! YOU HEAR ME?! I WON'T GIVE UP!"
But they're already gone.
The tavern door closes behind them.
Leaving Lhoralaine ALONE. With Fred's corpse. With her regrets. With the consequences of her choices.
---
**OUTSIDE THE TAVERN**
Hexia and Sirenia walk in silence. Down the street. Away from the tavern. Away from the CARNAGE. Away from the PAST.
After several minutes, Sirenia speaks.
**Sirenia**: "Are you okay?"
**Hexia**: "No. But I will be."
**Sirenia**: "She's going to follow you. You know that, right? She meant what she said."
**Hexia** *(sighing)*: "I know. But that's her choice. I can't control what she does. I can only control how I respond."
**Sirenia**: "And how WILL you respond?"
**Hexia**: "By living. By moving FORWARD. By not letting the past DEFINE me."
He stops walking. Turns to face her.
**Hexia**: "Thank you. For calling me. For—for needing me. For making me feel like I MATTER to someone."
**Sirenia** *(stepping closer)*: "You DO matter. To me. You matter SO MUCH."
**Hexia**: "Why? Why do you care? I'm—I'm BROKEN, Sirenia. I'm EMPTY. I'm—"
**Sirenia** *(placing her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her)*: "You're HEALING. Slowly. But you ARE. I see it. Every time you smile—even just a little. Every time you let yourself FEEL something. Every time you choose connection over isolation."
**Hexia**: "But what if I break again? What if I—"
**Sirenia**: "Then I'll be there. To help put you back together. As many times as it takes."
**Hexia** *(voice cracking)*: "Why? WHY would you do that?"
**Sirenia** *(smiling, tears in her eyes)*: "Because I love you, you emotionally constipated IDIOT."
**SILENCE.**
Hexia STARES at her. Processing. Unable to believe what he just heard.
**Hexia**: "You... what?"
**Sirenia**: "I LOVE you. I'm IN love with you. I have been since the moment I saw you covered in blood, saving my life, looking like some tragic HERO from a story. And every moment since then, I've just fallen HARDER."
**Hexia**: "But I'm—"
**Sirenia**: "Broken? So what? So am I. Everyone IS. We're all just walking disasters trying to find someone whose disasters COMPLEMENT ours."
**Hexia**: "I can't—I don't know if I can love you back. Not the way you deserve. I don't know if I'm CAPABLE anymore."
**Sirenia**: "Then don't. Not yet. Just let me love YOU. Let me be PATIENT. Let me show you that you're WORTH loving. That you DESERVE happiness. That you're NOT defined by your trauma."
**Hexia**: "And if I never—if I can't—"
**Sirenia**: "Then at least I TRIED. At least I FOUGHT for you. At least I didn't let you drown alone."
*(She takes his hand. Squeezes it.)*
"I'm not asking you to MARRY me, Hexia. I'm not asking for FOREVER. I'm just asking you to let me TRY. To let me IN. To give me a CHANCE."
Hexia looks at their joined hands. At her face. At the fierce, stubborn LOVE in her eyes.
And something inside him—something he thought was DEAD—STIRS.
Just a little.
Just enough.
**Hexia** *(voice soft)*: "Okay."
**Sirenia**: "Okay?"
**Hexia**: "Okay. I'll—I'll try. I'll let you try. I don't know how this WORKS. I don't know how to—to be with someone. How to let someone IN. But... I'll try."
**Sirenia** *(GRINNING, tears streaming down her face)*: "That's all I need. Just TRY. We'll figure out the rest together."
And then—slowly, hesitantly, like he's learning how for the first time—
Hexia SMILES.
Not the fake smile he gives villagers. Not the performance he gives his parents.
A REAL smile. Small. Fragile. But GENUINE.
**Hexia**: "You're insane. You know that, right? Completely, utterly insane."
**Sirenia** *(laughing)*: "Says the man who just BEHEADED someone in a tavern! You're one to TALK about sanity!"
**Hexia**: "Fair point."
They stand there. In the middle of the street. Holding hands. Smiling at each other like IDIOTS.
And for the first time in FIVE YEARS—
Hexia feels something other than EMPTINESS.
He feels... POSSIBILITY.
---
**[NARRATOR RETURNS - BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT I FORGOT ABOUT YOU?!]**
OH! OH MY! LOOK AT THAT!
Character development! ACTUAL character development! Hexia is FEELING things!
Sirenia CONFESSED! There was MURDER! There was DRAMA! There was a CATFIGHT!
Are you SATISFIED now?! Are you HAPPY?! Did you get your CATHARSIS?!
*(Pause.)*
NO! Of COURSE you're not satisfied! Because we're not DONE yet! We still have LHORALAINE to deal with! Remember her? The sobbing wreck we left on the tavern floor?
Oh, she's not DONE. Not by a LONG shot.
Because Lhoralaine just realized something IMPORTANT.
She realized that for FIVE YEARS, she bottled up her feelings. Suppressed them. Ignored them. Told herself she was HAPPY with Fred when she was MISERABLE.
And now? Now those feelings are EXPLODING. Years of repression erupting like a VOLCANO.
All that love, all that regret, all that NEED—it's all coming out AT ONCE.
And she's going to do something STUPID.
Something DESPERATE.
Something that will make this whole situation SO. MUCH. WORSE.
To be continued chapter 4.2.