“Adler!”

A youth roused to consciousness by the sounds of yelling and clashes of metal. His ears are constantly ringing. A headache still lingering, and his body burned as if he just run a marathon.

[Synchronization initializing …..]

“Adler, this is no time for jokes, wake up!”

The youth groaned, his whole body feeling heavy.

‘Where am I?’

[loading 82%]

‘What the hell is loading, it's so loud’

With great effort, he managed to open his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him. Dusty, old wooden planks lined the ceiling, lit up by flickering light.

‘Huh ….. This place does not look familiar …..’

[Congratulations, synchronization is complete! Scenario starting, Welcome to the first circle]

‘Noisy …..’

Attempting to sit up. His body felt sore and heavy as he tried to turn to the side. The moment he raised his left arm to support his body, a burning sensation could be felt.

“AHHH!”

Adler’s eyes shot open, as he screamed out in pain. Sucking in a breath, his vision turned white, and blood ran down his lips. His facial muscles tight, ignoring the additional pain of his mangled lips, turned his vision to his left arm. A deep cut ran from his shoulder to his forearm. Dark blood clots and dry blood crust around his limp arm, and white protruding bones can be seen from his elbow.

“Hush Adler, don’t make too much noise. I first need to set your arm.”

A clear voice of command ranged from beside him. Adler clenched his teeth, stifling his cry of pain. Slightly turning his head, his eyes swept around, observing his surroundings. The space did not exceed a small bedroom, and a wax candle acted as the only source of illumination. The walls were uneven and pitted, seeming made from hardened dirt or clay.

‘Who the hell pulled me here after I jumped? Goddammit.’

Beside him sat a burly man, rummaging through a sac. Pulling out some pieces of cloth, the man stuffed a piece into Adler's mouth, and carefully wrapped Adler’s left arm.

Just as the burly man finished administering first aid, Adler sucked in a deep breath as he was assaulted by a wave of dizziness. Drool seeped through the cloth and ran down his mouth, as he turned his tear-filled bloodshot eyes to the side. Opening his mouth and speaking slightly out of breath, Adler asked

“Who are you?”

“What do you mean, who am I”

The burly man scoffed, rolling his eyes. He was a handsome middle-aged man, with an aged face and disheveled hair. Wearing a maroon overcoat, his neckline was decorated with a simple pendant with a weird inscription. The silver, ring-like pendant housed an inverse star, and the ring was etched with unreadable inscriptions. The man’s wrinkled face tensed as he carefully studied the youth observing him. The candlelight flickered, casting eerie shadows on the tired youth’s face.

The burly man hurriedly turned away, awkwardly coughing before saying in an amused voice

“Hey did you lose your memory or something after the attack? Do you even remember your name?”

‘My name … it's not something pleasant I want to remember …. What did we call me before? Alder?”

“.........Adler”

“Yeah that's right, and I'm Milos, remember?”

“.....of course...Milos”

Phew, the man sighed before tightly shutting his lips. Turning back, he smiled at Adler, his eyes still coldly glittering. As he tried to initiate a conversation

Clop-clop-clop-clop

The sound of hooves slowly approached their general area. Milos hurriedly held his breath, putting a finger to his mouth, and gesturing to Alder. The sound stopped in front of their enclosure

Badump

‘A car ….. No definitely a horse. What is a horse doing in the city? Wait, the man calling himself Milos is dressed pretty weirdly too’

Some shuffling around, and footsteps could be heard above them, before slowly receding.

Letting out a breath of relief, Milos hurriedly moved along a wall of the enclosure before hammering his fists on the wall.

BAM

The wooden ceiling broke loose, and dim natural light brightened the dark environment. Milos cautiously lifted himself before peeking outside. A few seconds passed, as Milos carefully observed their surroundings.

“Seems like they left this time. Let's go first, I can explain later. It's not safe here”

Milos rushed back and attempted to help Adler stand. Wrapping Adler's right arm around his neck, he pulled Adler up.

Adler winced, feeling no strength in his legs let alone his arms, he leaned on Milos, Grunting in pain, Adler straightened himself, trembling like a lone leaf on a tree. Step by step, they walked out of the enclosure.

As sunlight from the setting sun entered Adler’s vision, he could see where they exited from. A crude underground chamber of sorts, leading up to a ruin. Of course, it was probably a building in the past, but now the only thing intact was the sturdy wooden panels that lined the floors. The outer walls and ceiling of the building were smashed and caved in.

Looking past the broken walls, rows of destroyed buildings entered Alder’s view. Wincing slightly, Alder shifted his weight and staggered outside with Milos.

The moment they left the building, Alder’s eyes narrowed with disgust.

‘The smell of blood’

“Those motherfuckers, how are they even human!”

Milos lamented. Alder could feel pressure on his hips from Milos’s arm supporting him. Due to their proximity, Alder could hear the gnashing of teeth.

They stumped their way down the street. Alder’s tired eyes swept the ruins on both sides. Most of the collapsed buildings were painted with blood, and littered with corpses.

“Fuck, they got almost everyone. Old man Saul, young Wendell, Kiera …….”

Milos spoke as if he was repeatedly swallowing something. Tightening his grip around Alder, he sped up.

‘Disgusting … Why are there corpses everywhere? Was there a terrorist attack here or something …lol’

Alder silently mused, his facial expression not betraying his thoughts. Although the unfamiliar surroundings concerned him, he was in no condition to consider anything other than his immediate survival.

“Let's leave the village through the thicket near the church”

Alder snapped out of his thoughts. Putting on a pained face, he let out a slight groan as his sore limbs screamed, and nodded his head showing his acknowledgment. Hesitating slightly, Alder asked out of curiosity

“Who caused all this?”

“Imperial knights. Those inhumane bastards. They have no justification for this massacre. I want to see the motherfucker that ordered this.”

Milos's rage-filled voice came out like he was squeezing out every word from his throat. Hearing the ominous voice, Alder showed signs of pondering.

‘Imperial knights? What is this …… a fantasy world? Next thing he will tell me that god exists hahaha’

His side of his lips slightly curled up, as they hobbled forward.

***

Arriving near the church, Milos’s pace slowed down. Unlike the rest of the village, the church still stood intact. It was almost untouched. The entire building was composed of pure white stone. The smooth and clean exterior can not be described as anything other than holy. The white walls moved upwards to a heavy intricate carved wooden roof. The church from the front looked very simple, consisting of an unadorned steel door and a pitch-black backward cross. The contrast of the pitch-black cross gave off an eerie feeling, forcing Alder to avert his gaze. As the duo edged closer, they could hear voices inside.

“.......are there any survivors?”

“........no, we already surveyed the area a few times ……”

“.......seal off …….. Send a messenger to ….”

Alder and Milos froze deathly, still standing like statues. Their blood ran cold, and a chill ran down their spine.

“Damn imperial knights”

Milos quietly hissed through his teeth. Those were most likely Imperial Soldiers in the building. Milos’s body started to shake, as his quivering lips opened and closed. Finally, they were able to hesitantly form some words. Turning his eyes to observe Alder, he quickly spoke

“Listen to me Alder, head to Nor following the path through the thicket and ….”

His voice trailed off as the sound of footsteps ran from inside the church before abruptly stopping. Milos’s eyes snapped back to the church. The heavy steel door creaked as it started to open.

“Run. RUN, I'll hold them back somehow”

Letting go of Alder, Milos pushed the sac towards Alder and started running towards the front of the church. Milos’s dark overcoat floated backwards, like dark wings.

Wincing as he struggled to stand on his weight, Alder hesitated slightly, continuously observing the situation. Seeing how urgent Milos sounded, Alder judged the situation to be especially dire. Once Alder realized this, he bolted towards the thicket behind the church without hesitation.

“COME YOU IMBECILES, HAHAHAHAHA, LOOK IM STILL ALIVE”

Feeling a piercing gaze on his back, Alder abruptly stopped, turning back just as he crossed to the side of the church, he caught a glimpse of the flowing blood-red outerwear of Milos before moving his legs once more.

‘What the hell, it's not like I know that man anyways …. Is there a reason for there to be two dead people?’

All said and done, Alder was in no condition to fend off these so-called imperial knights with Milos. With slight lingering regret, Alder turned back towards the thicket running as fast as his tired legs would carry him, Alder painted loudly, his eyes almost rolling back into their sockets from the pain of overexertion.

The Church shook as the people inside rushed outside at Milos’s provocation.

‘It seems like there are at least tens of those troops resting within the confines of the church. I salute you, Milos, your sacrifice will not be in vain’

Determination entered Alders's eyes. The clanging of metal on cobblestone rang loudly within the church. Alder quickly crossed behind the church and headed towards the Forest without looking back.

As Alder crossed the thicket, he heard incoherent screaming, a chant, and an explosion that shook the surrounding area. Holding in a curse he dived into the hedge. Fighting his way through the dense leaves and stems, Alder squirmed his way through. The twigs dug into his skin.

Finally, after a few minutes, Alder’s head popped up from the other side. Gasping for breath, Alder pulled the rest of his body across and plopped down to the ground. Shaking stray leaves from his head, the sudden burst of adrenaline left him like a lie.

As a wave of fatigue assaulted him, Alder struggled to keep his eyes open. Alder helplessly fell backward onto the thicket, his vision blurring.

‘Damn, just a bit more …….. At least till I get out …..’

Alder bitterly chuckled. As much as he mentally persisted, his body refused to listen.

“I can’t even feel my legs anymore”

Chuckling slightly, Alder muttered to no one in particular as he tilted up his head and leaned back against the overgrowth. How much time has passed since he originally awoke in this strange environment? As consciousness slowly left Alder, he could make out the countless stars in the sky.

‘Damned fate ….. Why must you make my life so hard again’

Sighing out bad breath, Alder’s eyes fluttered closed as sleep took hold of him. As if answering his call, the countless stars in the sky started to swirl, moving left and right until they formed five lines that stared down at his unconscious self.

Night encroached, and he was enveloped by indiscriminate darkness.