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**This is not an official translation. All rights to the lyrics and characters etc. are property of Happy Elements. The only thing that is my own is the translation**
~čå°å¹“éęÆ (These Sacred Games of our Youth) ~ (1)
All: ēćććé ½ćć¦
To fall from thy grace / Love for madness replaced
All: ēć¾ć£ć¦ę°øé ć«ćŖć
The pain only blooms / As eternity looms
Nazuna: å·ćéć
Here I lie / Stricken down
Shu + Mika: ååę¶ć®čŖć(2)
From the vows that nailed you to the cross
Mika: ē³čµ¤ć
Awakened in dark of the night
Nazuna: éć«ē®č¦ćć¦
Are scarlet eyes that yearned to see light
Shu: åć«ć ćč¦ćććć
Only you alone / Shall witness what is sown
Shu: 夢ć®åćēµµ (3)
A phantom image of your dream
Nazuna: ę¬²ćććć®ćÆ
Whatever I wish to be here
Mika: ę¤å¦ć«ććć ćć?
Can it truly be made to appear?
Shu: åć ććęćć®ć
Only I alone / Can fashion you your throne
Shu: åć®ē¶ćć
And carry on your tale anew
Nazuna: čć®č”ćäŗ¤ćć
Entwined, the blood and honey draw
Nazuna: ēŖćčŖåäŗŗå½¢(ćŖć¼ćććæ)
A scene fit for us automata
All: ēµ”ćæć¤ćēŗćć¤ć
Youāre twisting about / Your arms reaching out
All: čćććć«č ćÆ
This dance turns into a prison
Mika: č¦ćØćŖćę£ćØćŖć
They latch on like vines / They wound me like thorns
Shu: å®ćććØč¦ććæć
And thus all your love / Through all your scorn
Nazuna: ē”å¢ć®čøć«
Are gathered here / In my arms
Nazuna: åćäøćććć
And my saintly soul gives you your share
Shu: é»ćēŖć
Blackened nails bring the bloom close
Nazuna: ę«ć§ćéčč
Seeking petals of a blue rose
Mika: ć²ćØć¤ćć¤č±ć³ćć
And so you find them all / For one by one they fall
Mika: ććåćććć« (3)
Plucked out as you count them down
Shu: åććēćć
As if each once bore our lives
Mika + Nazuna: å£ēÆę ćć
A flower fighting to survive
All: ęÆććć¦å°ćęć
It's all i can do / To breathe only for youĀ
All: ę±ććććē¬éć
Yet I cannot hold on / Forever
Shu: ēćććé ½ćć¦
And fallen from graceĀ / Love with grief then replaced
Shu: ēć¾ć£ć¦ę°øé ć«ćŖć
The pain only blooms / As eternity looms!
Mika: å·ćéć
Here the wounds / Strike me down
Shu + Nazuna: ååę¶ć®čŖć
From the vow that nailed you to the cross
Shu: åć®ååćÆ
Hear your name echoing now
Shu: ē¹°ćčæćęå¾(ć”ććć£) (4)
As we play the same tune once again
Nazuna: ēå®ć®ę³ććÆćć
The truth I canāt see / The dreams that canāt be
Nazuna: čØčć«ćÆć§ćć
Neither I find the words for
Mika: ē“°ćåēø«ćéćć
That what you weave / Shall be the lines that we speak
Mika: ēµ¹ē³øć®å£°ć«ćŖć
As the threads go astray / My voice fades away
All: ēµ”ćæåćēŗćåć
Itās tangled around / Every weakness it found
All: čććŖćććčŗ°
Your body forms / A prison
Shu: č¦ćØćŖććę£ćØćŖć
It latched on like vines / Wound through my veins
Mika + Nazuna: ęć³ć«ćåććæć«
Laden with joy / Embracing the pain
Shu: ęŗć”ććčøć
Now that you are satisfiedĀ
Nazuna: åŗéćęć¦ć(5)
I shall bring us both / to an end
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
(1) The title here, 'seishonen yuugi' does translate more literally to 'saintly/sacred youths' games'. The saintly part is fairly self explanatory, given Valkyrie's long-standing tradition of divine imagery, but the 'games' part is a bit interesting.
It seems to be most associated with children's games, namely shared ones where people participate in a group. (I guess the best American example would be stuff like Duck Duck Goose, etc.) However, it's also taken on a darker aspect, as I found it sometimes in the description of stories involving 'punishment' games, (in the vein of Battle Royale and such), obviously playing off that childrens games factor.
To really bring the point home, I was wondering also why Yugioh was coming up so much in searches-turns out that is the Yugi part of Yugioh. (Idk if the character Yugi spells it the same, tbh) aka....children's card games. If you've ever touched some of the earlier Season 0 stuff, then you definitely get the idea. As you'll see, this theme does actually come up a couple times in the song.
(2) I'm not exaggerating here, they are quite specifically using the term for the cross used for the crucifixion of Christ. The vow they speak of is likely also the vow of Christ-esque, namely the one where Jesus died out of love for humanity to absolve them of their sins. (source: i grew up Catholic lol)
(3) Here's two possible instances of 'childrens games' imagery. åćēµµ can refer to something akin to a still-life, but can also commonly mean what seems to a traced image that children use for play. Like laying tracing paper over something and drawing along the lines sort of thing. It's an old fashioned way of referring to a 'magic lantern' or photo too.
And the second example bears a lot of resemblance to what I've always known as "Loves me, loves me not". I don't know if I can call it a game, but it usually involves someone trying to see whether their crush loves them by plucking off the petals of a flower one by one, while switching between 'loves me' and 'loves me not'. Whichever you are left with by the last petal is your 'answer'. I did want to note that Mika does say something along the lines of 'in order that' (your fingers) will pluck them out one by one' i added the counting part to match the rhythm and make it a bit more obvious what was probably going on.
(4) A smaller note, but the emphasis of this line and the verb i sthat this 'melody' is being played over and over again, multiple times. It's not just repeating something once over, it's more 'doing the same thing time and time again'.
(5) This is a very interesting line, since it was a bit hard to figure out how to translate. åŗéćć, the best I can tell is a verb that means essentially 'to stab each other mutually' or 'to harm yourself in order to bring harm to someone else/the other party'. You know that type of scene in anime where the two characters end up impaling each other after a dramatic showdown? That type of deal.
Now adding ęć¦ć at the end emphasizes bringing something to the end. It is finished, this is the result. Nazuna is emphasizing how this is going to be over now. and the ć ending in classical Japanese in this case, likely is either an invitation, or a very strong indication of personal will.
It's almost like a mix of both, him inviting Shu (because to be honest, it can't be Mika, and I don't really see this term being used for more than 2 people) to end this with them mutually destroying each other, and Nazuna indicating his will to finally 'finish this all' by bringing harm to himself, and thus harming Shu.
I went with indicating will because it makes much more of an impact, but I wanted to express the kind of sentiments that might be hovering around this, especially since this song seems so reflective of ex-Valk as a whole.
I honestly still have more to say about other random details, namely things like how blue roses represent 'impossible dreams' and the amiguity of Mika's role in all this, but its gotten way too long already and I want to cut my losses here. Thanks for reading though, if you've managed to get all this way
These lyrics are not a word for word translation, and are an adaptation of the original song's message, made to (pretty much) fit in with the original vocals. It's my interpretation, but I wanted to keep the meaning close to what it was in Jp while coming across as what one would write in an En song.
"Their unwavering gaze, their love, and now, even their obsession bear down upon him. And yet his smile never changes throughout all of it, ever light and free.Ā ā¦How unfortunate it is that this may be the reason he is so loved in the first place."
Tanabata 2025 R trait "Star-crossed"
"A tryst between lovers 7 years overdue. The heavens themselves speak of their storyā¦..so tell me, who then shall be able to see it through to the end? The night grows late upon the Sageās Manor, and their drinking party carries on."
**This is not an official translation. All rights to the lyrics and characters etc. are property of Happy Elements. The only thing that is my own is the translation**
~é ęå (Enthralling Theatre)~
Both: ęčØä»ęćć®čŗęåå»
So doth clockworks tumble you / around you spins the hallways too
(1). Forgive me for being a theater nerd for a little while, but I wanted to note here that the phrase Shu is using here translates literally to "the king wearing black clothes". Specifically, I want you to pay attention to the term é»č”£.
He uses the ććć reading in the lyrics, which very distinctly does mean black clothes, but what is really important to note is the other reading. Namely, é»č”£ can also be pronounced ććć/ ććć (if you're a KnB fan like me, you might know where I'm going with this.)
ććć were (and I think still are) traditionally stagehands- or what we call the running crew in modern day-in live kabuki theater who handled things like moving props and backdrops, working lighting, etc. And they were called this because they wear black clothing to blend in with the background. (Backs of pretty much any theater I've ever seen have been black.)
(Fun fact: this is actually where some people theorize the modern day misconception of ninja wearing all black came from-because what better way to hide a stealthy character from the audience than to have them dress as a stagehand?)
So while Shu uses the reading specifically for 'black clothing', I think it's likely this phrase is supposed to carry that double meaning. Especially if you consider Bunraku, or traditional 'puppet theater' in which giant, often fairly realistic puppets are used in place of actors. These puppets are often so large that it takes several people to work with them, and yes, these 'puppetmasters' also wear all black for the same reason.
Looking at Valkyrie's whole aesthetic, and how ććć itself projects an image of someone in theater who is unseen, but 'pulling all the strings'-so to speak-and the way in the MV Mika gestures at him when he sings this line, along with calling himself "king", probably makes this a very intentional implication.
(2). This is less of a translation note and more me trying to explain my thought process on how I translated it. Mika's line is ambiguous as to whether he is referring to someone else or himself as 'an awakening marionette', but I like to think that part of it IS Mika referring to himself.
Considering that he actually moves like a marionette in that part of the MV, Valkyrie's entire thing revolving around him being Shu's 'doll' (regardless of how true it is outside of that), and the line later about 'the grand guignol', it makes sense in the song-I think-that Mika is kind of the one they are talking about.
Plus, the part with the angel-only Mika says the line 'look at me alone', and he has several times before been associated with angels by other characters. It's fitting too, with Shu's 'king dressed in black' imagery.
The chorus too, at first Shu is just singing it, but by the end Mika joins him; I reflected this in the lyrics a little, since again, jp is very ambiguous sometimes when it comes to subjects and plurality. But it gives me the impression in the song about Shu enthralling enchanting a puppet to then draw their audience in with their art.
Hopefully what I said has made sense. Again that's just how I've been looking at it, so you're free to think differently!
(3). "Grand Guignol" here is French for 'giant puppet', which is most likely Mika referring to himself, as stated above. However, I've come across some more interesting theater history here that I think is relevant.
Namely, it was considered possibly one of the first sources of modern day slasher horror, or even just horror productions in general, as it was quite unlike any other theater of its time. It resonated a lot with the public of Paris at the time, as they often portrayed people who were considered 'dregs of society', and blatantly showing off seedier sides of life.
They used a lot of very realistic (for the time) makeup and effects to portray all sorts of horrible injuries and disfigurements, and while subject matter changed under different theater directors, you could find a lot of both comic elements as well as brutal portrayals of the macabre mixed in with each other.
Honestly, it's really fascinating to look into and I do encourage you to look it up on your own time, though viewer discretion is advised; there might not be that many surviving visuals, but I'm not joking about some of the special effects.
Considering that Mika is a self-admitted horror fan, I don't think this is a coincidence. It's influential enough on modern horror/slasher films that often 'Grand guignol' is a term used to refer to any sort of violent, horror-themed art, and consider the precursor to stuff like 'Saw' or 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.
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These lyrics are not a word for word translation, and are an adaptation of the original song's message, made to (pretty much) fit in with the original vocals. It's my interpretation, but I wanted to keep the meaning close to what it was in Jp while coming across as what one would write in an En song.
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Cain: Thatās your name, isnāt it? The name of the boy who fought up untilĀ his very last breath.
Cain: You never gained your title; you never even arrived at the fort in the first place. But you still were a splendid, amazing,Ā courageous knight.
Wandering Lament: ā¦!
Slowly, the area around the spirit's eyes started peeling and flaking away, until eventually, the entire twisted body faded.
A clean bright light began to shine forth, from which its true form emerged.Ā
It had only taken that instant for me to see now the soul of a young man with a sword in his hand.
He was earnest and brave, and his expression bore his strong will; he looked just like Cain when he was fighting a powerful opponent.
Suddenly he looked away from Cain, like heād just remembered something. I followed his line of sight, which landed on the men we had tied up earlier.
I thought heād been looking for the ones who killed him, but I couldnāt have been more wrong.
He was looking for his younger brother.
Leonard: ā¦.Roddieā¦..
Leonard: Oh, you were safe. Thank Godā¦ā¦
His serious expression softened.
Like heād reached the end of a war that had gone on far too long.
Roddie: L-Leoā¦ā¦..Leonardā¦.
(Sound of wind blowing by.)
A warm breeze gently trailed by us in the night.
His spirit then vanished without a sound, almost as if scattered by the wind.
His smile told me he was satisfied.
(Sound of water dripping.)
Tears once again fell from Cain and Bradleyās eyes, but this time they were clear.
Bradley: ā¦That wanderinā spiritās gone. Curseās all gone too.
Cain: Yeah.
Cain:Ā Leonard finally reached the place he was meant to be.
After returning to the Sageās Manor, explaining ourselves to all the worried wizards, apologizing for making them worried, apologizing again, then getting fussed over-
Akira: (Cain said to come over to his room, since he was holding us all a āclosingā party, butā¦.did I come too early?)
(Sound of a knock on the door.)
Akira: Cain? Itās me, Akira. Is it okay to come in? Iām sorry if Iām too earl-
Cain: Akira? ā¦ā¦Aaah-no, donāt!Ā
(Sound of chaos and clothes rustling. A lot of clothes rustling.)Ā
Bradley: Snrk-ahahah!!
Akira: Are-are you okay?! Iām-Iām coming in, okay??
(Sound of the door opening.)
Cain: Master Sage! You came inā¦ā¦it sounds like you areā¦youāre already in, arenāt you?Ā
Bradley: Ahahaā¦..yo, Sage-get a load of this. Comedy gold!
Akira: (.....What is even going on here?)
The first thing my eyes landed on was the gigantic amount of clothes scattered on the floor, all in front of the closet.
The second was Cain standing in the middle of this, looking absolutely mortified. Heād gotten caught up in whatever this was; a pair of his pants and one of his shirts were hanging off his head.
And third was Bradley, sprawled out like he owned the place, wiping away tears from laughing so hard.
His hand carried yet another glass of alcohol.
Cain: I-umā¦.uh, my bad for. Uh. Not havinā the place cleaned up.
Akira: No, no, itās fine! Butā¦um, what exactly happened hereā¦.?
Cain: Wellā¦I thought Iād get rid of all the clothes I didnāt wanna fold before you and Arthur came around, butā¦.
Cain: Basically, I tried usinā magic to put them all in my closet, but they didnāt fit. So they just kindaā¦.boom, all over the floor.
Bradley: You shouldāa seen his face when the door fuckinā burst! Iāll be rememberinā that one for ages.
Akira: I-I seeā¦that would be difficult to deal with, huhā¦.Oh. Um, Bradley, did you come early too?
Bradley: Iām just fuckinā off so those old farts donāt keep harrassinā me.
Bradley: āBwaaadleeeeeeey, youāre so coooool~! Bwaaaaaaaaad, youāre such a good boy!~~~~
Bradley: You try havinā that follow you āround 24/7. I swear I was gonna go deaf.
He leaned back against the sofa dramatically, looking back at Cain, who was jamming a coat into his closet.
Bradley: Man, you really got yer ass kicked by that thing, didnāt you?
Bradley:Ā Figaro anā the twins normally let harmless spirits like that fuck off. Anā under normal circumstance, the thingās pretty harmless.
Bradley: It doesnāt really bother anyone unless yer cursed, and most normal people wouldnāt be able tā look it in the eye.
Bradley: But you just straight up stared it down. Do you have like, zero sense of danger?
Cain: Well, I did know it was dangerous. But the Sage and Arthur were there, so there was no way I was backinā down.
Cain: Also, I know for you it was probably just like a whim, butā¦.
Bradley: Yeah?
Cain: You knew the risk that spirit posed, and that youād probably get cursed. But you still protected me.
(Sound of a door closing.)
Having put away the last bits of clothing, Cain shut the closet door.
Then turned and faced Bradley, honest and unwavering.
Cain: Why then? Why did you save me?
Bradley: ā¦.
Instead of answering, Bradley just drained the rest of his glass with a large gulp.
(Sound of clothes rumpling.)
He put aside his now empty drink and stood up, walking over to Cain. He didnāt speak; instead, he just put an arm around Cainās shoulders and pulled him close with a forceful jerk.
Bradley: Never mind that. Whatās the best booze you got here?Ā
Cain: ā¦..
For a moment, it seemed like Cain was going to say something; but in end, whatever it had been was left unsaid.Ā
Instead he returned Bradleyās gesture with a friendly smile.
Cain: Fine, fine; itās that tall one over there, but I was planninā on savinā it til Arthur and Faust came.
Cain: What about this beer instead? Faust isnāt into that kinda thing and itāsā¦probably a bit too early for Arthur to enjoy it.Ā
Cain picked up the bottle in his hand.
(Sound of magic being used.)
A cupboard door opened on its own, and 3 mugs came floating over.
Cain: Master Sage, do you wanna have a toast with us? I can take out the alcohol with magic.
Akira: If thatās fine by you, Iād love to!
(Sound of drinks being poured.)
Cain: Letās do it again when Arthur and Faust get here, but for right nowā¦
Bradley + Cain: Cheers!
The three mugs clinking together made a bright and sunny sound.
After we toasted, Cain then faced Bradley, and raised his drink.
Cain: Thank you.
Bradley: ā¦
Bradley didnāt say anything in reply, but the corner of his mouth tipped up in a little smile.
In unison, the two of them knocked back their drinks.Ā
Akira: (Their beliefs and the way they think are so different, and they said they have a hard time seeing eye to eye. I donāt know if the two of them realize it, butā¦.)
Bradley + Cain: ā¦.Aah-so good!!
(Sound of glasses clinking down onto a table.)
In unison, they put their drinks down too.
Cain pointed at the white foam moustache that had formed on Bradleyās lip and laughed.
Bradley, in return, just reacted with fake anger and grabbed the Central wizard in a headlock, driving his fist against Cainās temple. Cain reacted equally dramatically, trying to āescapeā this overbearing attack.
Akira: (I just hope the two of them can share their laughter like this in the futureā¦.)
(Sound of a door opening.)
Arthur: Cain.
Faust: Sorry to keep you waiting.
Cain: Oh, youāre here! We aināt waitinā at all-doorās open!
Bradley: You twoāre slow! Get yer asses in here, weāre bringinā out the good stuff!
The two of them both faced the door, while saying the completely opposite things.
However, when I looked at them like this, shoulder to shoulder, I couldnāt help but feel how much they resembled each other.
Like how even though day and night clashed, their opposing forces locked in battle across the sky; at dawn and at dusk the lights and colors softened, and they matched up perfectly.
Bradley fixed his grip on his rifle when he heard the two speak from overhead.
(Sound of a gun cocking again.)
Without hesitation, he changed his target from Cain to the men.
Cain: Bradley!!
(Sound of a loud impact.)
Men: Urghā¦!
Cain: ā¦!
But Bradley just ruthlessly bashed all the men over the head with his gun-stock, leaving the boy theyād been talking to alone.
Silently, he summoned his broom to his hand.
(Sound of a broom flying.)
There was a moment as he took off into the sky where he looked over his shoulder at Cain.
Bradley: ā¦ā¦
The contempt and annoyance Iād expected to see on Bradleyās face wasnāt there.
I donāt know if I truly understood what I did see either; he was a wizard who had lived far longer, and seen more things than either Cain or I.
But if I were to try and put it into wordsā¦
He seemed to have a smile on his face. A smile, that, one would possibly have looking down at their favorite junior, seeing their first, clumsy steps. Like no matter how poorly-made their work seemed to him, he was seeing that day when they would accomplish amazing things.
Bradley: How long are ya gonna dawdle around?? Get yer ass movinā!Ā
Cain: ā¦Okay!
Cain: Master Sage, stay here, will you? Donāt let go of Sacrikitty!
Faust: Sage, tear that sachet I gave you! Itās just a simple spell, but it should put up a barrier to protect you!
Akira: I-yes, okay!
(Sound of Akira tugging at the cloth of the talisman.)
While making sure Cain took off safely, I pulled out the pouch Iād been gifted and tore it.
A reddish-green powder made of many herbs flowed out and encircled me in a spiral.
A clean, calming aroma washed over me as Sacrikitty puffed up in my arms.
It seems I was not a moment too soon; in the next moment, a chill wind blew against my face, feeling like icicles against my skin.
(Sound of magic, then a beastly growl.)
Arthur: ā¦Itās here! Thatās the āWandering Lamentā!
The spirit emerged from the inner parts of the forest, and made directly for Bradley and Cain, ignoring everything else in its way.
(Sound of something flying by.)
Brandishing its twisted, blackened arms, it then attempted to seize them both.
Young Man: Thaā¦.thatās myā¦brotherā¦?
(Another growl of a monster.)
The sight of such a monster was utterly terrifying, but worse still was how it-he-didnāt react. Not to the sight of the men who killed him, or even the sound of his baby brotherās voice; it was utterly heartbreaking.
That was the true name of this ghost.
Leonard, the brave boy who dreamed of becoming a knight.
Arthur: We heard your message from my familiar-do you know the spiritās name?!Ā
Bradley: Yeah! Butā¦..shit, watch where youāre aiminā, ya damn monster!
Cain: The thingās movinā around to much for me to fuckinā make eye contact! Arthur, Faust, can you stop it movinā somehow?
Faust: I donāt have a full set of ingredients for the circle I planned on using butā¦.if you just need a few seconds, I think I have something that might work.
Faust: Arthur! Do you know the āTialgo Techniqueā?Ā
Arthur: Yes! But Iāve only read about it, Iāve not had any practical studiesā¦.
Faust: Itās enough for me! Iāll fill in the gaps.
Faust: Cain, Bradley! Arthur and I will trace out a magic circle in the air over on the other side of those ruined walls.
Faust: Bring the wandering spirit under it in exactly 168 seconds, okay? Remember, that; it has to be exactly 168 seconds!
Cain: Got it! Thank you, guys, Iāll leave that to you!
(Sound of Faust and Arthur flying off.)
With that, the two set off on their brooms.Ā
The other two met up with each other in the air in the midst of dodging the spirit.
Cain: Just to confirm; is your magic strong enough to kill that spirit?
Bradley: If I get it in a weak spot, yeah. Probably be a bad idea to hit it anywhere else, though.
Cain: Got it. Then you go above.
Bradley: Donā go āround givinā me orders, rookie; you get down there from below.Ā
Cain: Yeah, of course. Letās go!
Bradley: I jusā told ya not to order me āround!!
Akira: (Aboveā¦below? What are they talking aboutā¦?)
In the time I was trying to figure it out in my head, Cain and Bradley ceased dodging, and instead faced their opponent.Ā
Cain swooped down to a lower altitude before promptly jumping off.
Bradley, on the other hand, rapidly soared higher.Ā
(Sound of a monster growl.)
The fact that its prey shot off in different directions did not stop the wandering spirit for long, though. Rather, it almost immediately when after Cain, whom it had a stronger connection to.
(Sound of multiple sword strikes.)
Cain stood against it with his sword, enduring the assault; and as he grew more pressured into finally giving ground, Bradley rose on his broom to his full daunting height.
Bradley: 120, 119ā¦..yo! Over here, ya monster!Ā
(Sound of a gunshot.)
Wandering Lament: ā¦.!
Cain: 104, 103ā¦..Hey hey, Iām still here. Donāt go payinā attention to others now, will ya?
(Sound of more sword strokes and then a monsterās shriek.)Ā
Young Man: Ahhā¦!
Akira: (Th-the spiritās getting more and more violent! Butā¦)
(Sound of repeated sword strikes.)
Cain: 68, 67ā¦
(Sound of magic and more gunshots.)
Bradley: 66, 65ā¦.
The two worked in tandem to distract the wandering spirit, Cain fighting it from the ground while Bradley confused it with his magic bullets.
All the while they were accurately counting down the seconds until the magic circle was complete, and controlling the spiritās movement and speed with ungodly precision.
I couldnāt tell at all what they were thinking just from looking at them; but it was clear they both instinctively knew how to act.
Perhaps because their ways of thinking were so similar to each other.
The genius boss who brought together a band of North wizards, despite their notorious reputations, and the general of the Order of Knights, who stood at the height of the country despite his youth.
Arthur: The formation is complete!
Faust: Bring it over!!Ā
Bradley: Nicely done! 10, 9ā¦
Cain: ā¦.3, 2, 1, 0!!!
At that very instant, the wandering spirit was laid out under the magic circle Faust and Arthur painted in the night sky.
Together, they held their magic tools aloft.
Faust: āSalliqunart Mullcredeā
Arthur: āPernoctant Nix Zoāļ¼
(Sound of magic circle activating.)
A pale, shining light emerged, taking the form of a gigantic hand as it reached for the ground.
(Sound of magic, then something being grabbed.)
It grabbed and pressed down on the wandering spirit, much like a child catching a firefly.
Faust: Itāll only last 5 seconds-hurry!
Cain: Got it!
(Sound of quick footsteps.)
Cain cut in front of the spirit, attempting to meet its gaze.
(Sound of a monster growling, and a fierce struggle.)
However, despite the hand holding it down, it desperately flailed around like a fish out of water, its neck and body twisting at impossible angles.
Cain: Agh, fuck! I wasnāt able to meet its eyes!
Arthur: Ghā¦I canātā¦I canāt keep it up any longer!
Faust: Cain-get out of there-
Bradley: āĀ āAdnopotensumā
The sound of a gunshot resounded in the night.
Bradleyās bullet soared from the highest point of the sky, burning brighter than the sun.
Faust: This isā¦.
Arthur: Bradleyās reinforcement magic! If we have thisā¦!
Arthur: āPernoctant Nix Zoā!!
Faust:Ā āSalliqunart Mullcredeā
The light from the magic circle grew stronger, and in turn, restricted the spiritās wild thrashings further.
And as he overlooked Cain from the night sky, Bradley smiled.
A soft, gentle thing, that held an incredible warmth.
Bradley: Go on.
Bradley: Cain.
Cain: ā¦..Okay.
Cainās nod in return was powerful, unhesitant.
He fell to his knees as if he were talking to a child, and met its gaze. Through the muddy waters of the spiritās curse, a beautiful light broke through in his eyes.
A light like that of the sun, fearless of what lay ahead.
Akira: (He was a personā¦a living person that you killed-and youāre making fun of him like thisā¦)
Akira: (How far? How far do you have to go until you are satisfied?!)Ā
The leader of the gang looked up at Cain with contempt, and began to speak with a conniving tone.
Leader-like Man: How about you untie us, promise to never come near any of us again, and maybe then Iāll be able to remember a little more.
Cain: Promise?Ā
Leader-like Man: Arenāt you guys wizards? Only old farts and wizards care ābout antiquated stuff like demons and curses.
Leader-like Man: I heard that you guys lose your magic if you break a promise. Soā¦.
Bradley: ā¦Ha. Thatās enough outta you.
(Sound of a gun cocking.)Ā
Bradley gave an annoyed sigh as he spoke, before pointing the muzzle of his gun directly at the leaderās head.
The men fell deathly silent as he did so, the North wizardās equally fed up gaze boring down on them.
Bradley: Listeninā to ya prattle on like that makes me sick. Sure, my group of bandits were worthless bastards too, but theyād never stoop tā yer level.
Bradley: Hell, if they did, Iād kill āem myself. I really fuckinā hate guys like you.
Men: ā¦.!Ā
Bradley: Iāll tell ya this here anā now; learninā its name aināt the only way of liftinā that spiritās curse.
Bradley: Thereās a much easier way; killinā the reason it exists. Anā just who dāya think that might be?Ā
Bradley laughed, as wild as his beastly aura. Clouds drifted in front of the moon, cutting off the eerie light we were bathed in, casting us into shadow.
Bradley: Sage, look the other way, will ya?
Akira: Huhā¦.
Bradley: Brains flyinā around look like porridge. I donāt wanna be responsible for ruininā yer breakfast tomorrow.
Bradleyās frivolous line was probably an attempt at comfort, but instead it unsettled me even further.Ā
Because I knew the reality of what was happening; what this had turned into.
This wasnāt an interrogation.
(Sound of a gun being readied.)Ā
Bradley thrust the barrel of his gun into the side of the manās head, who was positively shaking in fear.
Cain: ā¦.tch.Ā
Cain, in one instant, was clearly holding back, biting his lip.
Cainās sword had changed targets. Bradley, meanwhile, just raised an eyebrow at the sight of the blade hovering in front of him.Ā
Bradley: ā¦..Do ya know what the hell youāre doing, punk?
Cain: Yes, I know exactly what Iām doing. Lower your gun, Bradley.
Cain: Iām handinā them over to the law.
Young Man: ā¦.!
Cain: Believe me, I understand. I really do. These guys are absolute worst, most disgustinā pieces of shit Iāve ever fuckinā met. Butā¦
Cain: Itās because of that I canāt just let them get executed here. Everyone should know what they did.
Cain: And besides..if we just kill these guys here and now, that boy will remain being a spirit.
Cain: He was mudered by these fuckers. The very least I could do is to return him to the person he once was.
Bradley: Ha! So this is how Sir Knight does things, huh? The āproper way?āĀ
Bradley gave a sharp laugh.
The barrel of his gun remained in place, digging into the manās skull. The leader, who had been so cocky before, was now shaking and crying like a baby.
Bradley: Then Iāll show you thā right way a bandit leader does it.Ā
Bradley: One by one, Iāll blow their fuckinā heads off, an our curse will be gone.
Bradley: Four bullets anā its done. Smart, right?
Bradley spread his free hand wide like a performer on stage, and then placed his finger on the trigger of the gun.
Cain: Stop!!
(Sound of magic being used, then the sound of their gun and sword. Metal is clashing repeatedly.)
A sound of a gunshot echoed through the air, accompanied by the violent crash of metal on metal. Over and over again it resounded, and I instinctively closed my eyes when a menacing spark of light grew into a blaze.
And then-
Bradley: ā¦.Ugh, you-you lil shit!!
Startled, I opened my eyes. Bradleyās bullets almost sparkled in the night, leaving behind an afterglow of greenish light as they arced through the sky.
Cain was breathing heavily, having deflected the gun barrel with his sword.
(The shriek of a monster echoes in the night.)
In the distance, I heard a horrid cry that child me to the bone.
The wandering spirit had noticed them.
Bradley: You fuckinā overdid it, brat!
Cain: Look whoās talkinā!!
(Sound of a fierce gale tearing through the forest.)
The wind howled like a roiling beast as the moonlight fought against the ever encroaching darkness. They clashed and overtook each other at dizzying speed, their colors painting the sky.
Those of the noble dawn, those of the ominous night; they opposed each other, glaring, unrelenting.Ā
(Sound of a gun barrel being cocked.)
Bradleyās gun was pointed directly at Cainās forehead.
Akira: ā¦.!
Bradley: I should blow yer head off with theirs.
Bradley: It donāt matter if we hold off usinā magic anymore; the thingās already noticed us.
Bradley: If itās usinā magic, Iām way stronger than you. Stand back if you donāt wanna die, kid!
Cain: I will not!Ā
Cain: Even if I get killed for it, I wonāt yield for the truth I believe in.
Cain: I am a knight.
Even as Bradleyās gun now pressed against his own forehead, Cain did not falter a single step.
The light his sword gave off in the moonlight shone pure and white, unblemished by the shadows around it.
(Sound of a trigger creaking.)
The deep, everlasting darkness fell upon us next, as Bradleyās finger twitched on the trigger of his gun.
Akira: Pleaseā¦please stop, both of you! Please calm down-
Young Man: āLeonard! Itās Leonard!
The pair who had been staring each other down both turned to face the young man at the same time.
I too, turned my head in surprise.
The timid, frail-looking boy, now had the will to fight to the death blazing in his eyes. His shoulders shook as he breathed heavily from his outburst.
The clouds parted, the moonlight shone down; brilliant and dazzling bright.
Young Man: The boy-the boy those men killed, the one who wanted to be a knight!Ā
Young Man: I was traveling together with himā¦.my older brother Leonard!Ā
Cain: ā¦Wait, travelling together? Then, that meansā¦
Bradley: There were two missinā persons. But only one of them was killed.
Akira: (So that was what he was trying to tell us last timeā¦the truth of the missing persons case..)
Unkempt Man: You-how dare you betray us!!
Young Man: Betrayal?! How could you call it betrayal?!
The young man shouted out loud, as fiery tears ran from his eyes that could no longer see.
Young Man: You killed him-you killed my older brother! Then you figured that pathetic little kid left behind was āusefulā, and did this to my eyes!!
Young Man: If I couldāve seen properly, I wouldāve run to the knights a long time ago!! But I ā¦..Iā¦..
Finally his tears ceased, and the young man looked up in Cainās direction like he was wishing; like praying to a god.
Young Man: I did think that it was just a coincidence you had the same nameā¦but you really are him. I see you now, Cain, the knight among knights, General of the Order.
Young Man: Whatever it is you decide, Iāll tell you everything.
Young Man: So please, just give us your judgementā¦..
(Sound of rustling fabric.)
Cain sheathed his sword, softling falling to his knees before the tearful boy.
He then put a gentle hand on the boys back, as if thanking him for his courage.
Cain: ā¦.Yeah. Iāll hand you over to the Order.
Cain: And thanks to your bravery, weāll be able to save your brotherā¦Itās okay, youāre alright now.
Bradley held me half behind him as he gave a mocking laugh.
The glint in his eye was as sharp as a knifeās edge,Ā the glare of a wolf who had cornered its prey.
Bradley: Last I heard, rumor was he got eaten by a beast in thā forest. Thatās what the kid over there said.Ā
Bradley: So thatās a weird thing to get all confused. Unless, that isā¦
Bradley: Yer the ones who killed him.
Leader: ā¦!
(Sound of something swinging, an impact, and a final body falling to the ground.)
Before he could speak again, Cain mercilessly hit the man on the side of his head with the hilt of his sword. He too, then slowly collapsed to the ground.
Cain returned his sheathed sword to his waist, looking down on his former opponents with disgust.
Cain: ā¦.No, weāll still need to confirm it all later. Right now we gotta tie them up.
Cain: Man, it's for things like this when it's real inconvenient without magic. Hey, would this belt work, you think?Ā
Bradley: Donāt do that. You can use magic if itās jusā takinā things out. Get some rope out, idiot. Rope.Ā
Cain: Okay, okay. Ugh-how much force to you hafta put into these knots? Iām not good at judginā itā¦
Akira: L-let me help!Ā
(Sound of wind through the air.)
By the time the men were finally all tied together, I spotted a silver bird cutting through the night sky.
Akira: Thatās a beautiful bird, what do you think it is? ā¦.Is it heading towards us?
Cain: Iām sensinā magic. I think thatāsā¦.
Bradley: Itās the Central princeās familiar. Hold out yer arm, Sage.
Akira: O-okay!
I held out my arm towards the sky, and the bird swooped down towards it like a falling star.
(Sound of fluttering wings as the bird alights down.)
Now that I could look at it up close, I could see the bird was made completely out of light, with no eyes or anything. It fluttered its wings like it was in a hurry, and Arthurās voice then rang out from it.
Arthurās Familiar: Cain, Bradley! Leave the town right now, and take the Sage with you!
Arthurās Familiar: That wandering spirit is nearby!
Cain + Bradley + Akira: ā¦.!
Arthurās Familiar: We are delaying it as much as we are able, but please escape now while you still can!
Bradley: Fuck, thereās a lotta nuisances tonight.
(Sound of rustling fabric.)
Bradley cursed while he threw the unconscious young man over his shoulder.Ā
Cain had gone off for a moment, now returning with a cart that had been abandoned in the alley earlier. It seemed like some sort of signal passed between them, as Bradley now began unloading the bodies onto it.Ā
Bradley: Jeez, anā we almost had that kid spittinā out the truth. Right, Mr. Knight?Ā
Cain: You didnāt hafta be that unpleasant. Iām sorry that this is all just a bother to you, but you were goinā way too far. He was so scared of you he wasnāt going to talkā¦.
Bradley: Unpleasant? Whatād I even do? ā¦..okay, thatās one aāthem.
(Sound of something large thumping to the ground.)
Cain: Oi, youāre makinā tooĀ much noise. Put āem down a bit quieter, will you? ā¦..And? What about it wasnāt unpleasant?Ā
Bradley: I was complimentinā yer sorry ass, if you took a moment tā think. See, Iām the bad guy, scum oā the earth anā all that, and yer the knight in shininā armor.Ā
Bradley: After āthe bad guyā scared āem half to death, you got in there at the right moment doinā all the beinā kind anā protectināĀ shit.Ā
Bradley: Humans love that kinda thing. If theyāre half outta their wits anā think they got an ally, theyāll spill pretty much everythinā. Thatās jusā the ABCs of interrogation.
Cain: ā¦.Thatāsā¦well, sorry to say this when ya did compliment me, but I didnāt exactly do that on purposeā¦..And, hup-thatās three of āem.Ā
Bradley: Huh? Wait, so all thatās just how ya normally act? God, what a pushover-now Iām sorry I wasted my breath on you.
Cain: Yeah,Ā sorry for being a pushover. ā¦.Okay thatās all four loaded up.
Cain: Letās get going, Master Sage.
Akira: Goingā¦where? Orā¦I mean, you just started loading them onto that cart without saying anything so Iām not sure whatās going onā¦
Cain: Ah-my bad! I guess I forgot to explain.
Cain: Now that weāve captured these guys, itās actually pretty convenient for the wanderinā spirit to find us. That way we can give its name as soon as we learn it.
Cain: But if weāre gonna start fightinā with it, thereās too many civilians here that could get caught in the crossfire.Ā
Cain: Thatās why weāre movinā this all to the ruins of the old town. Is that okay with you?
Akira: Okay, now I understandā¦yes, of course.
Cain: Thank you. Actually, would we be able to get that message to Arthur and Faust?
Bradley: Oz trained the lil prince, so that familiar oā his can probably take messages too. Talk to it, give it a try.
Cain: Got it. ā¦.Arthur, Faust, thank you for the warning. Weāre heading towards the ruins of the old town now.
Cain: Weāve caught the guys that might know the spiritās real name, so weāre gonna see if we can get it from them there before the spirit reaches us.
Cain: Signed, Cain. Meet up with us at the ruins.Ā
Bradley: Okay, Sage, jusā raise yer arm again to the sky, and tell it to fly off.
Akira: Okayā¦.go, fly!
(Sound of something whooshing off.)
The moment I held out my arm, the bird took off like a silver arrow.Ā
In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the dark of the night.
By the time we arrived at the ruins, the men had also come around.
(Sound of a sword being drawn.)
With their captives arranged in a row, Cain now faced them with the tip of his sword blade.
Cain: There aināt no time left, so Iāll ask you straight.
Cain: Were you the guys who killed the kid in this forest 10 years ago?
They were all startled, their eyes fixed on the glint of his sword blade hovering in front of them. Soon enough though, the men glanced between each other with shifty gazes.
The young man tried to raise his head, but as the silence drew on, he just ended up curling in on himself further.
The leader suddenly gave a loud, disdainful laugh. Though he was still tied up, he laid back with an arrogant attitude.
Leader-like Man: And if we did, then what?
Cain: ā¦!
Bradley: So you do admit it. You bastardsāre the oneās who killed him.
Leader-like Man: Well yeah. But you guys arenāt with the Order; or some lordās lackeys either. Weādāve heard if big shots like those were sniffing around here.
Leader-like Man: In other words, you three are the only ones who still care.
Leader-like Man: Why are you even investigatin' such a boring rumor? Itās been 10 years now, or something-itās too late to do anything about it, anyway. Who cares if someoneās hellspawn got himself turned into a meat stick? (1)Ā
Young Man: ā¦.gk.
Cain: Some hellspawn? āTurned intoā.....?!
I could almost see the veins in Cainās hand pulsing in anger from how hard he was gripping his sword.
However, after a moment, he took a deep breath and pointed the tip of his sword towards the leader once more.
Cain: That boy you guys killed turned into a ghost, now trapped in this world by his own grief. Heās still wandering even now, unable to be at peace.
Young Man: Huhā¦ā¦.
Cain: I need to know what his name was when he was alive in order to lay him to rest. If you know it, you better spit it out right now. No tricks.
Leader-like Man: Oh, the name? Ah-oh, right, if Iām not mistakenā¦.
Leader-like Man: I think it was somethinā like āAaahh!!!āĀ
Bradley: Eh?
Unkempt Man: Hehā¦eheheh. Sorry, he made a mistake. It was āIt hurts-it hurts, it hurts, stop!ā, right?
Well-built Man: Or āIām scared, Mommy!ā Hehehehā¦..
Leader-like Man: Hehehā¦.well, whatever it was, I forgot. Besides, it wouldn't be good for us if you figured it out, right?
Young Man: ā¦gh!Ā
Cain: You fuckinā bastard...!!
Cainās voice grew rougher, as did his words, but I understood; hearing their vulgar, disgusting jokes, I too felt like I was about to be sick.
(1). Here the man refers to the boy killed with äøå¹, which is a counter for small animals. You really don't want to use counters like that for people unless you are being derogatory, which is definitely what's happening here. Part of the reason Cain is so pissed is because he's referring to the boy killed like little more than livestock or someone's pet.
Akira: Umā¦is it okay to jump to conclusions that quickly? I know you guys donāt know what police dramas are, but they would usually collect evidenceā¦.
Bradley: We aināt got time for that shit. Those randos definitely didnāt like anyone talkinā about there beinā ātwo peopleā anā all.
Cain: Probably because they donāt like that theyāre connected to it. Their reaction alone to my name tells me they arenāt doinā anything proper.
Cain: If theyāre beinā cautious though, they might run off with that kid in tow.
Bradley: But they aināt got enough spine to be leavinā behind their spoils like that. So they oughtāa still be hanginā around.
Cain: Thereās no other taverns in this town, and theyāve been regular customers there. So inevitably,Ā that meansā¦.
Bradley + Cain: Tonight, itās on.
Akira: I seeā¦.
Faust: In that case, we can rest a little far away from town, and then come back to that tavern in the evening.
Faust: During that time, Arthur and I will monitor the wandering spirit, and when you learn their name, we can provide support for the purification.
Arthur: Both of you, take care; Master Sage as well.
Akira: They look all nervous, and theyāre searching the other guestsā¦.are they making sure we didnāt come?
We spoke to each other in whisper as we hid near the tavern, watching the men as they entered.
(Sound of fabric, then a thump.)
However, when the young man tried to enter the tavern with them, the leader of the group thrust him away, telling him something.
The boy just gave a weak nod in response as he curled back defensively. The tavern door slammed shut in front of him with only the sound of a bell lingering.
Akira: They just shut him outā¦.
Bradley: Lookās like heās been made into an errand boy. Seen it happen a ton.
Cain: Hey, waitā¦
(Sound of footsteps approaching the young man.)
Ignoring Cain, Bradley drew towards their new target with the grace of a panther stalking its prey.
He made no hint of his presence or sound as he did so, and thus the hard-of-seeing boy didnāt notice him.
Then-
(Sound of a physical scuffle.)
Young Man: Waaā¦gh!
Bradley: Quiet. You make a single sound anā Iāll slit yer throat.
Young Man: Mphghā¦.
Cain: Hey! Stop beinā so threatening, Bradley!
Cain: Can you hear me? Iām sorry for coming on to you all scary-like. Itās us from yesterday, the guys who interrupted your dinner.
Cain reached out and touched the young manās shoulder, speaking with great concern.
However, even though both the touch and his voice was gentle, the young manās breathing grew more rapid.
Cain paused for a moment, blinking, before continuing to talk with a more calming tone.
Cain: Yesterday, you were tellinā us about that local rumor.Ā
Cain: We kinda got interrupted in the middle, so I had just wanted to ask you ābout it a little fur-
Young Man: Iā¦I donāt know! I donāt know! I donāt knowā¦!
The young man frantically shook his head as he interrupted Cain, frequently glancing in the direction of the tavern.
Bradley: Donāt play dumb with us, punk. What were you sayinā about two people?
Young Man: Iā¦I made aā¦mistake!Ā
Bradley: Oh, ya did now, huh?Ā
Young Man: Gkā¦.
Cain: I said stop threatening him, Bradley. Heās never gonna tell us anything if heās too scared of you to speak.
Bradley: Please. There are plenty of ways tā make someone talk. Jusā ask Figaro. Heād say any chatterās good chatter if ya get somethinā outta it. Even if yer a bit nasty ābout it.
Bradley: Iām a convict, ya know. They teach you all that real up anā close in prison.
Bradley: What dāya say? I can give you yer own personal lesson.
Cain: Quit it, will you?!
Young Man: ā¦ngh.....!
(Sounds of another struggle.)
The young man finally seemed to reach his limit, and started twistingĀ and pulling violently against the hands that held him, in a desperate attempt to escape. Amidst the struggle, though, his shirt was pulled up, and I happened a glance at his stomach.Ā
I put a hand over my mouth to cover up my gasp at the color of the skin underneath.
Akira: (Ohā¦oh my God, itās all purpleā¦is that-is that all just one bruise?!)
Cain: ā¦.! Shit, youāre injured-are you okay?! What happened??
Young Man: Iā¦thisā¦itās n-nothing! Itās really nothingā¦.
Cain: Thatās definitely not nothing! Look, forget about the rumor; let us help you, okay? There has to be something we can do.
Cain looked him in the eye, ready to confront the problem head on.Ā
It didnāt seem like the young man saw this, but he still lifted his head to look like the sun was shining down on him.
Cain: Thereās older injuries mixed in with the ones you have now.
Cain: Which means itās those guys youāre with whoāre doinā this, right?
Akira: Ohā¦
Young Man: ā¦ahā¦.Iā¦..Iāmā¦..
(Sound of the tavern door opening.)
Unkempt Man: For the love of-how long does it take that moron tā steal a single fuckinā horse?
Well-built Man: We made it clear we gotta leave, now. If we keep shootinā the breeze around here, those guys-
Bradley + Cain: ā¦.!
As the door opened, the vulgar men from before spilled out.
Their harsh looks almost immediately settled on us, having caught onto the young man.
The young man, who immediately went pale upon seeing them.
Young Man: I-Iā¦.I didnāt say anything! I didnāt say anything at all, I didnāt!! Iām sorry, Iām sorry! Iām sorry!
Leader-like Man: Fuck, weāre too late.
Unkempt Man: You assholes got the nerve to come sniffinā around here again, huh? Weāll teach you some manners!!Ā
(Sound of blades being drawn.)
The harsh light of the moon shone down, casting their drawn weapons in an uncanny light.
(Sound of more fabric rustling and a thump.)
In the moment I was was distracted by the disquieting scene, the young man had thrust himself away from Bradley and ran back to the gang of men. He too, drew a knife that glinted in the moonlight.
Bradley: Argh-you littleā¦.!
Cain: Shit-looks like I got no choice now.
Making a clear sound of displeasure, Cain then grabbed Bradleyās arm, foisting me off onto the North wizard like one would luggage.
Akira: Ahā¦!Ā
Cain: Brad-Iāll leave the Sage to you!Ā
Bradley: Huh? Who the fuck do you think yer orderinā around??
Cain: Bradley-please! I really do get it, but right now weāre limited to physical force. And Iām better than you at that.Ā
Cain went for his sword-but oddly enough, did not draw it. Instead he unbuckled the sheath from his waist, and set himself in his usual stance.
Bradley: The hell you aināt drawinā yer weapon?Ā
Cain: We need 'em to talk. Itād be kind of bad if I went overboard.
Well-built Man: ā¦! You think you can look down on us, huh?!Ā
Leader-like Man: Iāll fuckinā kill ya!Ā
The gang of scoundrels all recklessly rushed at him; at Cain, who faced them, perfectly composed.Ā
In the sudden flurry of action, he moved as though he were dancing.Ā
(Sound of attacking swords.)
He blocked each and every one of his attackerās blows with that self same precision, his sword never leaving its sheath.
(Sound of four more sword attacks.)
Finally, when he took the attack from the unkempt man, Cain gave a slight smile.
Cain: Ah, thatās better. Now Iāve got all of you. While Iām pretty used to fighting without being able to see my opponents, itās a lot safer this way.Ā
Unkempt Man: Huh? ā¦ā¦ā¦Gyaah!
(Sound of one more swing of a sword.)
With his sword still in the scabbard, Cain swept it to the side.
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Cain: Oh, that! Yeah that does seem pretty good-I wanna try it too. Oh, but firstā¦Akira! Come here!
I was taken aback by the sudden call of my name by Cain, who was waving me over to the space between him and Bradley. I hurried over, dragging a chair to sit with them.
Leader-like Man: ā¦.This weak-lookinā guy part of your crew too?
Unkempt Man: Ahaha-what a dumb mug. Hey look, your kindās here! We got one of āem too.
Young Man: ā¦.
Akira: Umā¦..
Cain: Hey, no need to be mean. His nameās Akira. ā¦.Oh, I donāt think we gave our names, did we?
Bradley: Now that you say that, yeah, donā think we did. Nameās Bradley.
Akira: Like he said, Iām Akira. Iām very sorry for interrupting you.
Cain: And Iām Cain; Nice to meet ya.
I saw Cain give a sideways glance to the men, having used their real names to introduce themselves.Ā
And it seemed he was wise to; upon hearing āCainā, the men pulled back with a start. Only the young man looked up at us like heād been struck.
Leader-like Man: ā¦.Thatās the name of the General of the Order right now.
Unkempt Man: You mean former General. I heard they aināt anymore. You guysāre travellers. Dāya know if the General Cain really did resign from his post?
Bradley: Man, we aināt been within spittinā distance of the royal capital for years now; we donāt know shit.
Bradley: Itās just a coincidence this guyās got the same name. Stop jumpinā at shadows, will ya?Ā
Leader-like Man: ā¦Well, youāre probably right. I havenāt heard anyone talkinā about the General cominā to some backwater place like this.Ā
Unkempt Man: Ha, I bet heād be too busy chasinā skirts all over the royal capital. Wanna bet heās a player? Got a whole line of them royal ladies.Ā
Well-built Man: Ahaha, yeah, I bet heās real busy on the ānight watchā. If thatās what itās like, Iāll bet 10 years from now weāll all be āgeniuses with the sword.ā
Men: Gyahahaha!Ā
Cain: ā¦ā¦
Akira: (....How dare theyā¦.At least Cain doesnāt seem phased...)
Though he seemed well-enough himself, my own mood grew worse.
I gulped down the rest of my juice in one go; I wasnāt thirsty, but I was afraid if I had any left in the cup, I wouldāve dumped it all over these men.
When I lowered my empty drink, the young man with long bangs caught my attention.
Akira: (Heās staring a bit too hard at Cainā¦..And heās looking a little bit in the wrong place. Like Cain does as well before he touches usā¦.)
Cain: So how long have you guys been around here, then?
Leader-like Man: Uh, couple months. I think we passed by this place before when we were travellinā, right?
Bradley: Oh, reallyā¦.then I wonder if you know more about this one rumor I heard. The one 10 years ago, where a kid went missinā....
Young Man: ā¦..!
(Sound of something spilling.)
Young Man: Ah..!
Unkempt Man: You idiot-did you just spill your drink?! You better not have gotten any on my shoes!!
Well-Built Man: God, what a moron. You canāt even drink a single glass without ruininā it!
Young Man: Iām-Iām sorry! Iām sorry, Iām sorryā¦.
Cain: Hey, hey, his hand slipped. It happens to everyone. Iām just glad the glass didnāt break.
Cain: Bartender, can we get your best drink for these four? Thanks.
Cain raised a hand to the counter to signal the bartender. A short while later, he took the bottle of wine he received, dividing it into 4 glasses, handing them in turn to the gang.Ā
The final glass he gave them was to the young man who had spilled the drink in the first place.
Cain: Here, this oneās for you. ā¦.You know, you donāt hafta answer if you donāt wanna, but Iām thinking your eyesight isnāt all that great?Ā
Young Man: Yā¦yesā¦.The t-truth is, I canāt really see well at allā¦.
Cain: Huh, really? Just from watchinā you at the table, I donāt think most people would be able to tell. Youāre pretty awesome.Ā
Cain: Just reach your arm out a little bitā¦right here. Yeah, right thereās the glass, I think youāll be able to get the picture once you touch it.
Young Man: Thā¦thank youā¦.
After taking the glass, the young man hung his head.
But then, with a sudden blink-he raised his head, his expression like that of a cornered animal.
Young Man: U-umā¦that rumor you mentioned a bit ago. I know what youāre talking about.
Cain: Huh?
Men: ā¦!
Young Man: I-I mean, itās not just me. If something like that happens in this area, everyone knows about it. Itās famous enough e-even the Order of knights investigated.Ā
Young Man: People went missing 10 years ago, in that forest ahead of the old townās walls.
Young Man: Two boys.
Akira: (Wait, what? But we only heard of one missing personā¦)
Bradley + Cain: ā¦..
Well-built Man: Hey. Youā¦.
Young Man: I-I meanā¦i-itās a rumor right? So they were probably eaten by some beast in the forest. That happens in those parts a lotā¦.
One of them grabbed the young manās arm, yanking him forcefully with him. Within the sound of him being so violently dragged, I swore I could hear his breathing spasm.
Cain still had a friendly look on his face, like he was trying to pacify them.Ā
Cain: Hey, itās fine, itās fine; I think weāre all good with staying up late. I wanna hear more about that, it seemed interestingā¦.
Leader-like Man: No. Weāre leaving. See ya.
Still dragging the young man along, the whole gang then left the bar without another word.
Faust: Thatās strangeā¦that doesnāt match up with what we found at all.
Dawn. We met up with Faust and Arthur as agreed, exchanging what we knew.
Faust: We followed traces of that spirit to the forest, and there, we found a set of old, small remains. Itās most likely they are the source of this spiritās grief, so we held a funeral for them.
Arthur: ā¦There was a rotten sheath nearby. So it seems we were correct; the true form of this lingering spirit is the boy who wished to become a knight.
Cain: ā¦I seeā¦
Faust: But the remains we cremated definitely belonged to a single person. There were not enough bones for two people.Ā
Akira: Then, the rumor of a boy going missing was true? That young man was mistaken?Ā
Akira: But āone person going missingā is on a whole other scale than ātwo peopleā. I donāt think that would be an easy thing to mistakeā¦right?
Cain: No, it wouldnāt be; thatās the problem. He clearly said two people when he spoke about itā¦.
Bradley: Those guys definitely know somethinā.Ā
Bradley: Like the Sage said, you donāt mistake those sortsa details. That means he said ātwo peopleā on purpose.
Cain: Looking at his companions response, he mightāve been hinting at something that would be real inconvenient for them.Ā
Cain: The mystery of how many people went missing versus how many remains isnāt addinā up, soā¦.I need to talk to that kid further.
Faust: Understandable. When are you going to go, then?
Bradley + Cain: Tonight.
The two spoke in complete unison.Ā
Cainās eyes opened wider at first, before he smiled and gave Bradley a hearty slap on the back.
Cain: Well, would ya look at that. We are gettinā along.Ā
Bradley: Yer the one who said we couldnāt yesterday.
Cain: Okay, then lemme rephrase: sometimes we canāt, but when we can, we do.
Right as we opened the door, we were assaulted by the overloud guffawing from a group of men. I jumped at the unexpected sound, Bradley just wrinkling his nose.
Bradley: Ugh, look at this vulgar lot. Even Mithra has better manners than that.
Cain: True, heād never make that much of a racket. Master Sage, donāt get separated from us.
Akira: O-okayā¦.
Said group of men had taken up seats at the most central table in the bar, making it easy to see the source of the clamor. Their table was piled high with a lavish feast, like they were celebrating something.
However, the remains of their food was scattered everywhere, and several of them placed their muddy boots on the table. No matter how happy they seemed, just looking at it gave me an unpleasant feeling.
Akira: (If this were Shylockās bar, he wouldāve kicked them out already. I wonder why this bartender isnāt saying anythingā¦)Ā
There were a number of other customers dotted along the wall, far away from the noise. They seemed to hate it too, but like the bartender, said nothing.
Bradley took a seat at the counter, leaning over it towards them.
Bradley: Yo, figured Iād stop by for a drink. Bring somethinā good for me and this guy here, and juice for the squirt in the back.
Bartender: Most certainly. Are you travellers?
Bradley: Somethinā along those lines. Pretty classy joint you got here, huh?
Bartender: ā¦I am very sorry. I have already spoken to them several times, but as you can seeā¦
The bartenderās posture crumbled, and I followed their gaze around the interior of the building. I could see things that were torn or broken all over, most likely because of this gang.
Cain: Man, these guys really are garbageā¦.do they come here that often?
Bartender: Yes, they are my most unpleasant repeat customers. Granted, they probably only recently drifted down to these parts.
Bartender: I have no idea how they earn that amount of money, though. Theyāll come here, raising a clamor for a few days, then disappear, and repeat the whole thing again.
Bartender: They themselves say they are mercenaries, butā¦.theres no fighting here, not even conflicts between local lords. So I have no idea how on earth theyāre earning anything.Ā
The bartender shrugged while serving us our drinks, then left to go take orders from the guests near the walls.
Cain merely took his drink, and was uncharacteristically silent as he took a swig, staring in the mensā direction.
Cain: ā¦Master Sage. Tell me about those guys; how they look, how many, what theyāre actinā like.
Akira: Huh? Oh, umā¦.thereās a man with a scar on his cheekā¦heās the most self-important looking, so heās probably the leader.
Akira: If weāre going by appearance alone, he looks older than Oz or Figaro. Heās pretty tall and muscular.Ā
Ā Akira: Thereās two others there about the same age as him; one of them is really well-built too, and the other is kind of unkempt-looking.
Akira: Thereās one more there thatās younger than those three. He has long bangs, and the other two seem to bully him a lot. He looks a bit scared of them as well.
Cain: Okay, Iām gettinā the picture nowā¦thanks.
Cain: Okay, Iām gonna head over and talk with those guys a lil bit. They sound like the kinda guys who would know about some pretty awful things.Ā
Akira: Huh?! Wait, no, itās dangerous!
Bradley: Whatever, just get goinā. Donāt fuck it up, got it?
Akira: Huh?!!!
Cain: Of course, of course. Iāll leave the Sage to you; come in at a good time, kay?
Without batting an eye, he clapped me on the shoulder and then headed over. Still worried, I leaned over to whisper into Bradleyās ear.
Akira: Is-is this really okay? Cain is very strong, but heād raise a huge clamor if he drew his sword now, and he canāt use magicā¦
Bradley: Hahaā¦yer real full of questions tāday, Sage. This is jusā like what happened back when we started livinā at the manor.Ā
Bradley: Picture me, the great Bradley Bain, feared bandit of the North, a terror to kids in their dreams, jusā sitting at the table, eatinā my food. Then, Mr. Central knight comes in.
Bradley: Anā what dāya think he did as soon as he laid eyes on me?Ā
Akira: I..donāt know. What..did he do?
Bradley: Came straight over, flung an arm āround my shoulders, anā said, āYo, whatāre you eatinā there? It seems pretty good.āĀ
Cain: -Yo, whatāre you eatinā there? Seems pretty good.
I then heard Cainās friendly voice, repeating almost verbatim what Bradley just said.Ā
He didnāt put an arm over any of their shoulders, instead leaning towards them in a familiar manner.
The men, however, grew angry at some strange young man suddenly approaching them.
Unkempt Man: Huh? The fuck are you?
Leader-like Man: You got the nerve tā act all friendly with us??
In the sudden chaotic atmosphere, the young man with long bangs startled, his shoulders tensing up.Ā
However Cain, widening his eyes with surprise, just brought both his hands up in surrender.
Cain: Ah-my bad, my bad! That was pretty damn rude of me to just say hi like that. Iām sorry for interrupting your meal.
Cain: Itās just..you guys look like regulars, and you got some really fancy stuff laid out on your table, so I figured you might know what the best thing to eat here is.Ā
Cain: Itās my first time around these parts, and this particular tavern. If itās okay, Iād love to hear your recommendations.
The group of hoodlums all glanced at each other, then back at Cain, who was offering them a handshake with an honest expression.
Despite being taken aback by his behavior, they still shook his hand,Ā glancing warily at the knight.
They did not seem to notice that Cainās left hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword the whole time.
Bradley just shrugged as he drained his glass, standing up and stretching after putting a sizeable amount of silver coins on the counter.
Bradley: Barkeep, keep an eye on this one, will ya? Sage, you keep lookinā too. Come over when its good.
Bartender: Thank you very much for your generosity; please leave it to me, sir.
Akira: W-wait, when you say goodā¦..
Without stopping, Bradley just took large strides over to where Cain now was.
(Sound of fabric being grabbed.)
He then grabbed Cain by the scruff on his neck, much like he would a misbehaving puppy.
Cain: Gck-
Bradley: Oi. Aināt I always sayinā to stop wanderinā off on your own and botherinā the hell outta strangers?
Cain: Sorry, sorry, I kinda got excited.Ā
Bradley: Ugh. ā¦Well, suppose itās my bad for my partner here, heās always like this. Heās jusā beinā a brat, so donāt think heās got any ill will.
Leader-like Man: ā¦..I guessā¦..
Bradley: Listen, I aināt good with apologies so have a lil somethinā on us.
Bradley: Though while weāre here, might as well ask for any interestinā tales ya got of these here parts.
Bradley: Weāre in the middle of travellinā right now; any bit oā gossipās a help.
(Sound of a chair being dragged over.)
Pulling a chair over, Bradley flopped down on it with a heavy weight.Ā
At some point he mustāve taken out his magic tool, because unlike Cain and his sword, it was set down nearby as if it were a dare.Ā
Perhaps unconsciously, the gang of men then watched how Cain was going to respond.Ā
(Sound of another chair being dragged over.)
He too just pulled up a seat while giving a pleasant smile, falling in line with Bradley like they really were travellers who trusted each other.
Cain: What he said. Thatās kinda also why I was askinā for recommendations; Iād love to hear what you know.
The cheerful smile, the overbearing attitude, the innocent, endearing nature, gifts to make yourself be admired; all of it was calculated. All of it, a part of their plan.Ā
Arthur: So that is what happenedā¦.do you know the boyās identity?
Cain: No. Honestly, itās a miracle I know that much.
Akira: Umā¦a little while ago when we were investigating, I did overhear you say that āthat has to be where it happenedā¦āĀ
Cain: Oh, you heard that? Yeah, that was the incident I was thinkinā of. Grief and regret are all sorts of things thatāre easily affected by the Calamity.
Cain: Still, at the same time, the possibility that boy turned into the wandering spiritās pretty low. What do ya think, Faust?Ā
Faust: ā¦It might be possible. When I tried to unravel the curse before, the presence did feel a lot like a child.
Faust: The possibility that the missing kid is the true form of this wandering spirit works well enough, in my opinion.
Akira: ā¦Thatās so sad if it's true, though. His future being cut short as he was just about to start his dreamā¦.
Cain: Yeah. I heard about it when I was in the Order; he was apparently 12 years old at that time. ā¦..If he were alive now, we wouldāve been the same age. It really left a lasting impression on me after I realized thatā¦
Akira: Wow, I donāt blame you. It really is terribleā¦
Cain: Yeahā¦
Cainās expression was clouded for a moment, but soon he shook his head, raising his eyes again.
Cain: Anyway, the important thing right now is to find out that spiritās true form.
Cain: Also, if my hunch is right and it is that boyā¦.we should try whatever avenue we can to find out his name.
Cain: And if he isnāt, I can only hope he ended up in the place where he was meant to be.Ā
Akira: Yeah, me tooā¦.
Bradley: Ugh. Stop with all the tearjerker crap, will ya? I aināt got time for this shit.
In contrary to my solemn agreement, Bradley just gave a scornful laugh, waving a hand at us like he was shooing off a dog.Ā
Bradley: Our goal, if ya didnāt forget, is to get rid of this curse as soon as possible. If offinā the source of its grief was easier, Iād be all for it.
Cain: Yeah, I know. I would too if we had the means.
Cain: But this wandering spirit was originally a human. Iād rather be able to choose how to resolve this curse, so I wanna prepare in case it happens.Ā
Bradley: Buzz off; I aināt doinā this for anyone but me. I donāt see why I hafta care about some punk kid that don't matter.Ā
Cain: ā¦..
Cain frowned slightly as Bradleyās unrepentant refusal, then paused to take a breath.
Cain: ā¦.I really canāt see eye-to-eye with you, can I?
Bradley: Hey, youāre the one who was preachinā about holdinā hands and joininā up before.
Cain: Yeah, I knowā¦..hey, hold up! Weāve flown pretty far already; we should probably turn back soon and go ask around at the local tavern.
Arthur: The tavern?
Cain: Yeah. Cause itās a place where both people and information gather. Iād like to go ask the locals if they know anythinā about all this.
Cain: So uh, what direction is that town from hereā¦..
Bradley: Wait a hot seconā; aināt you forgettinā to do somethinā?
Faust: Doing what?
Bradley: Change yer clothes, duh. You canāt go into a tavern lookinā like that. That tailor kid aināt here today, so yāknow what? Consider this a gift from yours truly.
Bradley snapped his fingers, and suddenly the night filled with a light aroma of gunpowder, smoke, and danger. It was a scent that always lingered after him, layered on like a cologne.
(Sound of Bradleyās magic.)
By the time Iād noticed what happened, our clothes had all changed.
Arthur: Your clothes? Bradley, are you lending them to us?
Bradley: What dāya think Iām doinā? Yāall better thank me for this; I dragged this shit out from underneath the shit at the bottom of my dresser.
Cain: So in other words, youāre givinā us the stuff you donāt wear.
Akira: Th-thank you for going out of your way to do this. But isnāt using magicā¦.
Cain: Iām sure the spirit sensed it, but itās all good. Weāre goinā a different way than we were before now.
Cain: If we leave traces of our magic here, itāll serve as a pretty good decoy for it.
Cain: ā¦..is what you intended when ya used magic, right, Bradley?Ā
Bradley: Yeah, sure, whatever. More importantly, you idiots aināt got enough of an impact to be goinā and talkinā shit in taverns, so Iām takinā over.
Bradley: Anā you, Cain, you got thā know-how to point that out, and yet here you are tryinā to shove off to town without even thinkinā of that?
Cain: Iā¦.got distractedā¦..
Bradley just shrugged with half-closed eyes at apparently having hit a nerve in Cain. However, he still had a slight smile on his face.
Cain had said they couldnāt see eye to eye before, but right now they were acting just like a senior with his junior.
Akira: (I canāt tell if their chemistry is good or badā¦ā¦Actually, more importantlyā¦)
Akira: Well, Iām glad itās on purpose, butā¦.erm, by the wayā¦..
Arthur: Master Sage? Is anything the matter?
Akira: Itās justā¦these clothes Bradley gave us are, well, a little big in a lot of placesā¦.ah! The belt, the beltās falling!!
Bradley: Hey-donāt go droppinā things-that shitās expensive! Probably.
Cain: ā¦Probably?
Faust: What is this belt even for in the first placeā¦..No, thatās not important. It shouldnāt be too hard to shrink the clothes down with magic, Iād think.Ā
Bradley: Ha! Why? You guys all look like beggars! Well jusā remember to put them back after, or youāll regret it.
Arthur: Of course, thank you very much for lending them to us, Bradley. Cain, are you sure youāll be okay as is?Ā
Cain: Yeah. Me and Bradley arenāt real different in physique. Right?
Bradley: Donāt ārightā me; itās clear as day Iāve got the better body. Look-aw, you got some extra cloth right here!Ā
(Sound of rustling of clothes, then something being hit.)
Cain: O-ow-that hurt! And there isnāt that much extra, jeez! Ughā¦well, if it gets in my way, Iāll rip it off or something.Ā
Bradley: Donāt fuckinā tear it either! I said itās expensive! Probably!Ā
While the two of them bickered, Faust just snapped his fingers, causing all our clothes to faintly glow. After a second, all the clothes and belts that came with them shrank to fit us perfectly.
Cain had a firm grip on the handle of his broom.
Cain: -Okay. Then while the spirit makes its way here, lets turn back towards town.
We arrived at the tavern at about midnight, when the date changed.
Arthur and Faust would not be going with us there; instead, they were returning to the forest to investigate there. We decided too, to meet back up with each other at dawn.
(flashback begins)
Arthur: I too will go with Cain to investigate at the tavern.
Faust: No, youāre coming with me to the forest, and in charge of delivering a message to the Manor at the expected time.
Faust: The order in that particular tavern is pretty terrible; kids definitely shouldnāt be in there at this hour.
Arthur: I am 17 years old. That may not be considered an adult, but I am not a child.
Faust: That is literally a child. Besides, outside of insisting youāre not a kid, you havenāt given me anything that would persuade me into letting you stay.
Arthur: ā¦.
Faust: Iāll repeat; Iām not letting children frequent dangerous taverns at this time of night. We should get going on our own task.
Arthur: ā¦.Yes, youāre right. Iām very sorry for being so unreasonable.
Arthur: I was just thinking about how Cain got cursed because he was protecting meā¦I couldnāt calm down.
Arthur: All because I simply couldnāt moveā¦.
Faust: That was not any fault of yours. That spirit was something you fundamentally cannot look at. Your body was most likely just trying to defend itself.
Faust: The fact that Cain was able to move was an exception. As a knight, he was most likely trained specifically to respond like that, and mastered the ability to overcome his fear in an instant.
Faust: Each and every one of them had it ingrained in their heart to take the best, most suitable course of action. That is the only thing that played a part in this outcome.
Arthur: ā¦Okay. Thank you, Faust.
Faust: No need to thank me. ā¦.Sage, you should probably accompany those two instead.
Faust: Carry this pouch with you for self-defense. If you sense you are in any danger, tear it; and donāt part from the Sacrificiumās side.
Akira: Okay, I understand. You two take care as well.Ā
Faust: Yeah, we will.
Faust: Letās get going, Arthur. Beyond this point, thereās a high likelihood that we will come into contact with something curse, so please stay as close to me as possible.
Faust: Thatās why itās like a poison. So even if youāre only affected that one time, it still eats away at you-in other words, the only thing you can do is purify the spirit itself.
Faust: If Iām being honest thoughā¦Iāve never heard of a single case of that being successful. Iād much prefer it if we could remove the curse itself.
Faust: Cain, youāre the one who made eye contact with it first. Stand here then; Iāll make preparations in order to break it.
Arthur: Please allow me to help as well.
Dividing up the work, Faust and Arthur set out drawing a magic circle around Cain, made up of various herbs and mercury.
Faust: ā¦.Okay. From now on, Cain, I will be performing the spell.Ā
Faust: There will most likely be a sensation of something foreign invading your body, and a powerful feeling of suffocation. However, you cannot, under any circumstances, stop breathing. Just keep repeating your name inside your mind.Ā
Cain: Okayā¦ā¦ah!!
(Sound of magic being used.)
The moment Cain went to nod, his red eye started rolling around in his skull.Ā
Having seized control for itself, it then looked around restlessly at our surroundings like it was trying to assess what had happened.
Cain: Owenās eye-it just started moving on its own! Itās been ages since this last happened, so whyā¦..
Bradley: The hell that bastard think heās doinā, peepinā on us like that? He lordinā over the fact that heās the only one that didnāt get cursed?
Faust: This is a delicate technique. I really donāt want anything interfering with itā¦
Cain: Itās okay, Iāll just cover it with my hand. If thatās what heās tryinā to do, heāll get bored eventually and give up.
Akira: (T-thatāsā¦this feels a little bit too much like avoiding surveillance camerasā¦is that really okayā¦?)
Faust: ā¦ā¦.. ..Wellā¦..I guessā¦Iāll just keep going for now? Thereās not much else to do.
Faust: Letās just begin.Ā
Faust held up his mirror, and used it to peer into Cainās golden eye. Slowly, he drew it towards himself, like he was trying to stare at something far away.
Faust: āSalliqunart Mullcredeā
(Sound of Faust using his magic.)
Cain: ā¦Ughā¦ā¦.
Cainās breathing did spasm for a moment, but not long after he began to make himself breath deeply.
As Faust stared, unblinking, into the depths of Cainās eye, a cold sweat began to break out on his forehead.
A few seconds passed, then a few minutes-
Cain: ā¦.Ah, hot!!
(Sound of flames suddenly burning.)
Akira: Aah! The magic circleās on fire!
(Sound of magic rebounding.)
Faust: ā¦.ck!
Like he was thrust away by an unseen force, Faust staggered backwards, Arthur frantically rushing over to stop him from falling.
Arthur: Woahā¦..are you okay?Ā
Faust: Ughā¦Yeah, sorry. Iām fine. Thanks.
Cain: Agh-that was intenseā¦.It fuckinā felt like pasta was boilinā in my eyeā¦
Bradley: Use words that make more sense together, would ya??
Akira: (I wonder if he was trying to say it felt like something long and slimyā¦.?)
Arthur: Faust, what happened? Were you able to break the curse?
Faust: No, I wasnāt. That wandering spiritās obsession is too strong; I donāt think other people trying to intervene is going to be effectiveā¦
Faust: Well, maybe Oz or Mithra could force the thing off him, butā¦.they would probably end up badly injuring his soul.
Ā Arthur: I seeā¦.I had thought that perhaps we could ask Lord Oz for help, butā¦.
Cain: That should probably be our last resort. Is he still at the manor?Ā
Faust: Yes. As soon as he heard that you guys had been attacked by the wandering spirit, the weather got very stormy.Ā
Faust: He seemed anxious to come here, but the twins managed to stop him. Probably for the best, too; this isnāt something we can just carelessly kill.
Bradley: Anyway, seems like all we got left is purifyinā the damn thing. Why does it always gotta be the most annoyinā methodā¦.
Akira: I know you said there werenāt any successful cases earlier, but what would you need to do to purify a spirit like that?Ā
Faust: Thereās two main methods, for the most part. One, declaring the wandering spiritās true name as you make eye contact with it, and two, destroying the source of their grief.
Arthur: ā¦Thatāsā¦..
Cain: Both of those are unusable, though. We dunno know their true form, or whatever turned āem into a vengeful spirit.
Akira: A-are those really the only ways? If the only characteristics are someone dying and their soul being consumed by grief, the possibilities are endlessā¦..
Faust: Thatās why I said I rather try and break the curse. Itās nigh impossible without that information. Well, you might be able to break Bradleyās curse alone, butā¦ā¦
Faust: ā¦..
Faust hadnāt hesitated in speaking about the curse before, but now, for some reason, he suddenly fell silent. Cain leaned towards him, clearly wanting to hear more.
Cain: We might be able to break Bradleyās curse at least? Then thereās a method to save him?
Cain: He only got involved ācause he was protectinā me, so Iād want him to be free of it if nothinā else. Can you tell me the method then?
Faust: ā¦..No. Itās completely impossible.
Cain: Butā¦..
Bradley: ā¦Oh, I getcha.
Bradley: Youāre implyinā here that if I kill Mr. Central knight, Iāll be saved from the curse-or somethinā like that. Right?Ā
Faust: ā¦.
Faust: ā¦.Yes, thatās right.
Arthur + Akira: ā¦!
Cain: Oh...I get you now, but thatās not usable either. The risk is way too much for both of us.
Both Arthur and I had been startled, but the knight in question seemed calm, giving a light shrug of his shoulders.
Cain: If he kills me, Bradleyās standinā will get even more dangerous. At the very least, his prison term would get extended several hundred years. Of course, I donāt exactly wanna die either.
Cain: Alsoā¦.if Iām tellinā the truth, I might have an idea as to who the wanderinā spirit is.
Akira: Huh-really?!
Cain: I donāt have any conclusive evidence Iām right. But itās gotta be better than startinā on nothing.
Cain: So thatās whyā¦.
(Sound of a sleeve rustling.)
Cain had held his hand out to Bradley, looking him in the eye. Bradley just stared back with a frown, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Cain: Bradley. I know itās my fault that you got into all this mess, but would you be willinā to team up with me?Ā
Cain: We have the same goal. I want to resolve this as soon as possible, to win-in a way that wonāt affect our future.
Cain: The chances of us succeeding together are way better for complicated stuff like this.Ā
Bradley: ā¦..
Bradley narrowed his eyes, giving a calculated look.
(Sound of a hand slapping against another.)
After a brief pause, a sound rang out that mimicked the dry crack of a gunshot.
The source was easy to find: instead of the handshake offered, Bradley had clapped his hand against Cainās.Ā
Bradley: Nothinā tābe done ābout it. Get on yer broom.
Bradley: But lemme get one thing clear: if I think you, at any point, are in my way, Iāll kill ya then anā there to free myself. Capiche?Ā
Cain: Yeah, I got it, I got it. Thanks.
Cain: But for now, lets get outta here before the spirit comes. We need to have a strategy meeting.
Cain: -it was 10 years ago that it happened. A boy who dreamed of being a knight went missing, near ruins of that old town.
(Sound of brooms flying through the air.)
I rode on Arthurās broom as we continued soaring into the wine-colored evening. The meadow and the town we had just visited were both long gone from our sight.
Since the vengeful spirit was chasing them, they couldnāt return to the manor.Ā
The three of us offered to help, so we continued on with Cain and Bradley as they flew.
Cain: The Order of Knights had a fortress in a big settlement about 4 days walk from that town; thatās most likely where he was heading.
Cain: But apparently, bad weather stretched out the itinerary and he was tryin' to rush along to make up for it.Ā
Cain: So instead of using the main road thatās connected to the city gates, he tried to take a shortcut through that forest by the ruins of the old cityās walls, and left that way.
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Cain: Okay! This is definitely the place that request was talking about.
Arthur: Yes, the map that was included all but confirms it, butā¦Master Sage, do you sense anything?Ā
Akira: No, I thought this would be a desolate place, but thereās nothing really distinctā¦
The three of us tilted our heads in concert, confused about the outcome.
We were visiting a deserted town in the Central kingdom, on yet another report of an incident caused by the Great Calamity.Ā
āThere is something terrifying haunting the ruins of the former town-the air is so cold scary itās so horrible please come quicklyā That was all the chaotic contents of the letter said, so we went immediately to investigate-
Bradley: Lemme give you what I think. These weird-ass air chills and fear theyāre talkinā about or whatever- it aināt caused by the Calamity at all.Ā
Arthur: Is there a reason youāre able to be so certain, Bradley?Ā
Bradley: Itās real simple. You lot would even be able to figure it out eventually; do you see any signs of the Calamity beinā here?Ā
Bradley: Cause there arenāt any. And so my job here is done.Ā
Cain: Okay, okay. Look, I know youāre just here for the pardon, but we canāt exactly bring a proper end to this deal like that.Ā
Bradley: Who gives a shit about proper? If itās nothinā, itās nothinā.Ā
Bradley: The twins jusā flapped their traps aboutĀ āhelpinā investigate this strange incident.ā If you want me to hunt down this 'chilly thing', Iām gonna need some extra incentive.Ā
Bradley gave a flippant wave of the hand, but for some reason, his gaze kept shifting over to the forest on the other side of the ruined walls.Ā
Akira:Ā ā¦.? Um, Bradley, is there something overā
Bradley: Have a good rest of yer night there-donāt fuck āround too long!Ā
(Sound of Bradley whooshing away.)
Arthur: Ah-! Heās goneā¦..
Cain: Of course he isā¦..but at any rate, I should probably wrap it up this one time now.Ā
Cain: Magic and curses aren't the only things that would cause chills and strange behaviors like this. If its poison or a sickness, itās better to let doctors take the stage.Ā
Arthur: That is a good pointā¦.Master Sage, Cain and I can report back to Drummond this time.Ā
Arthur: It may be useful to approach this from a different angle for us to help the frightened residentsā¦.would that be okay with you?Ā
Akira: Of course. Please, if you two wouldnāt mindā¦
Arthur: Thank you very much, Master sage. Then shall we return to the Manor as well?
Cain: Yeah.
Cain nodded, but then oddly his gaze drifted over to the ruined walls. He muttered something under his breath, like he didnāt want anyone to hear.Ā
Cain: Stillā¦it wasnāt from the Calamity?Ā
Cain: This has to be where that incident took place, thoughā¦.
Akira: That incidentā¦.?
Arthur + Sacrificium: ā¦.!
With a sudden snap, both Arthur and Sacrikitty turned towards the forest.Ā
Just one beat behind, Cain turned around as well, ready to face whatever it was.Ā
(Sound of wind blowing through.)
There wasnāt a chance for me to wonder how or why as a cold icy wind flew past my face.
Because the temperature then dropped dramatically, to an unnatural degree.Ā
There was no need to ask Cain or Arthur what was going on; I understood instinctively.
Something terrifying was heading towards us from the forest.
Akira: (Oh God, oh God, Iām so scared, itās so scary so scary so scary scary oh Godā¦.)Ā
Nothing was even happening, yet my legs gave out underneath me, forcing me to shakily sit on the ground.
(Sound of clothes shifting as Akira falls onto the ground.)
Hugging Sacrikitty close, I buried my face into its body, feeling like I was losing control of myself from the horrid chill.Ā
I was afraid I might let out a cry if I didnāt.Ā
Cain: Akira?! Are you okay??!Ā
Arthur: Master Sageā¦ā¦I-whatā¦.whyā¦why canāt I move?!!Ā
Arthur had his gaze cast deliberately down, like he was trying to avert his eyes from something.Ā
(Sound of leaves rustling in the distance.)
As he did so, the trees in the forest started rustling.Ā
Something was coming; something I must not look at.Ā
Akira: Aahhā¦..
It was just a fleeting shadow on the edge of my vision, but it was enough for me to form a picture; a strange, distorted figure covered in a pitch black mourning veil, dragging the train along in the dirt.
A swollen, distorted head shaped like rotten fruit; skeletal arms so long they almost touched the ground; and a body that was twisted a complete 180 degrees towards us.
Akira: ā¦..ckā¦ā¦
Arthur: Thā¦that'sā¦..the spiritā¦..
Cain: Master Sage, Arthur!
(Sound of footsteps running.)
Neither Arthur nor I were able to raise our heads still, but I heard the sound of frantic footsteps as Cain burst out between us and the approaching figure.Ā
Cain: Run!! Iāll hold it off!!
Arthur: Cā¦.Cain! Noā¦.itās dangerous!
Cain: Thatās why you need to get out of here!! Go, now!!Ā
(Sound of Cain drawing his sword.)
Cain raised his sword as the sound of gravel being crunched underfoot drew nearer.Ā
Cain: Fuck, this really is some sort of demon! Iā¦I can see it just fineā¦..
???: sAā¦Wā¦ā¦sawā¦
???: Youā¦sAW it.
Cain: Huh?Ā
???: You saw iTā¦.you sawit yousawityousawityousawitYOUSAWITYOUSAWITYOUSAWITYOUSAWITYOUSAWITYOUSAWYOUSAWYOUSAWYOUSAWYOUSAW
Bradley: ā¦.Donāt make eye contact, you fucking idiot!!!
(Sound of magic, then several gunshots being fired.)
An echo of a gunshot rang out, and instantly the oppressive chill faded.
When I finally managed to raise my head, I caught a glimpse of the spirit trying to flee into the forest, Bradley hovering above us on his broom.
Cain, who had stood his ground between us and the demonic being, lowered his sword with a sigh of relief.
All the while tears of thick, oozing blood trailed from his golden-colored eye.Ā
Akira + Arthur: ā¦.?!
Cain: Uaah!! What the-what the hell-?!Ā
Bradley: Fuck, this is why I wanted to get outta here!
Bradley cursed up a storm, all the while wiping at his eyes with his thumb. Even so, I could still see the dark red color that stained his skin.
Akira: Cain! Bradleyā¦!
Arthur: Are you two okay?! Iām so sorry, itās because I couldnāt moveā¦ā¦
Cain: Itās not your fault, Arthur. See? The two of us are fine-
Bradley: We aināt fine.
Bradley: This bloodās the sign of a curse. Me anā Mr. Knight here are cursed.
Arthur: Cursedā¦?
Bradley: Yep.
Bradley: That thing will keep huntinā us down, even to the ends of the earth. Just to kill us.
Cain: Faust, thanks for coming. Iām real sorry to bother you like this.
Faust: Itās fine, really.
A short while after. We had moved from the abandoned town to a meadow far away from any civilization.
Arthur had sent a letter to the Manor to beg for Faustās help in the matter, and he had arrived here as well.
According to Bradley, the two of them could only use weak magic now, about what it took to fly a broom.
Any more than that, and that āWandering Lamentā would immediately be able to sense them.
Faust: Anyway, you were saying you were cursed by this wandering spirit..?Ā
Bradley: This shitās your specialty, right? Can ya fix it?Ā
Faust: I have all the necessary components to try, but the curse is powerful. I canāt say yes with any sort of certainty.
Akira: Um, this āWandering Lamentā.....what sort of spirit is it? The fact that it would hunt you down to the ends of the earthā¦..
Faust: The remnants of a deceased person that manifests from a powerful grief or some sort of lingering attachment. At this point, I wouldnāt even call it a ghost anymore; itās just a shadow of their former self; one thatās forgotten everything. Their name, why it is they were grieving, until the only thing it has left is hatred.Ā
Faust: If you make eye contact with it, it forges a connection between you; and it will indiscriminately hunt down anyone who does so.
However, it didnāt seem like theyād be able to turn the tables on the demonic spirit and defeat it to end the curse.
Once a soul came into contact with this "Wandering Lament", it became akin to a water bottle that held a poisonous stone. Even if you took the stone out, the water wouldnāt become drinkable again.
And a soul thatās eaten away at by this deep resentment the spirit held would start drawing misfortune and calamity onto themselves. And before long, amidst all that ruin, they too would die, grieving and anguished.
cw. for unhealthy eating habits and possible trauma, and just general ex-valk level angst.
**This is not an official translation. All rights to the story and characters etc. are property of Happy Elements. The only thing that is my own is the translation.**
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