A month ago, I declared to myself that this world was better than my old one. 

The area around the street turned into mist as Sorah set down his axe. Homing icicles crystallized and propelled themselves towards Officer Guiral in multiple arcs. I held the Tatshi Dagger in my hand, thinking about how I could even fight in this situation. With no fighting experience I couldn’t fathom on taking on Guiral head on. The plan was to stall for time as Sorah’s family would escape, so offensive moves weren’t advised. 

Three people stood in the way. Guiral and his two men. Sorah launched an attack, but no one could tell how they would react. The sharpened ice drills impacted Guiral’s area and created more fog. I could barely see three meters ahead but a silhouette in front of me and Sorah. 

Guiral walked out of the fog unfazed. Sorah and I stepped back while he bit his lip. As expected of an officer of the Royal Marshal. 

“Sorah, can you focus on Guiral, and I’ll take the smaller ones.” I said quietly so as not to whistle. He nodded once. What was I thinking? It was something. My level was nothing compared to Guiral’s men, so any attacks I made would be nothing. 

“If you, the Devil and the rebel continue resisting arrest, we have authorization to use lethal force.” Guiral shrugged his shoulders, moving forward without a step back. Sorah stepped forward and brought his axe around.

“Take this.” He swung as ice flew off the blades of his weapon. The projectiles spreaded out over the entire street like a flap of a fan. I took off to the right, keeping alongside the buildings. 

Their white cloaks shone brightly in the moonlight. I managed to flank the men and closed the gap. My hand jabbed the dagger into a man’s thigh and yanked it out. My second time hurting someone with a weapon in my life. 

“Gh! You fool!” 

“Sorry!” 

I knew it wouldn’t do much damage at all. But my goal wasn’t to kill. My feet rushed to the next guard as I held my weapon midswing. I saw the other man’s stat screen glow up. He already noticed my presence. 

A breath of fire came forth, illuminating the neighborhood. Yellow flames burned an image into my eyes while I tripped over my own foot. The ground slammed into my face. Fresh blood dripped down my forehead as I scrambled to stand. My own blood…

“Mister Kaizenji, look out!” 

My body flung backward a couple of strides. Sorah kicked me just in time. The man I’d stabbed missed his sword strike on me. Sorah and I had now switched places with Guiral’s bunch. Sorah engaged with the swordsman. Their weapons clashed as he parried the man’s weaves. He anchored the blade with his axe and flung it to the ground. My breath took physical form as the icy mist danced around them. 

I faced the other man with fiery breath. My body could barely keep up, my heart felt like it would explode. The tiny blade jittered in my hands, as the man inhaled for another breath. It would definitely hit me. My agility, let alone my dodging skills were too low to evade. If I couldn’t go at a range… Then there was one thing I needed to do. 

The man exhaled a blaze as he stumbled.  I tackled him by the stomach as I felt my suit jacket reducing to cinders. Mist condensed and dripped along with my sweat. My pants turned into a yell. I continued to grapple with the man as my heart pounded in my chest and every fiber of my being screamed in protest. Pushing him again, my feet stomped with his as he lost his balance. Even if his attack waivered for just a second, I was sure that I could take that chance. 

My dagger found its opening as I slid it into his back. The man arched in pain as he threw me off.
“S- Sorry!” 

“You damn devil!” The man with the sword broke past Sorah and went directly to me. A glowing arrow lunged forward from above and struck the man in the neck. He grasped for his esophagus as crimson erupted from his mouth, before falling to the ground. The same liquid that I so hated poured onto the ground as I didn’t move. I looked at my hands again, staring at the same blood that once meant life. I clenched my fist knowing who shot the arrow. My reaction was mixed with relief and sorrow. 

“Ruri…” Sorah glanced up above, letting his axe rest. “Don’t shoot anymore! No one else has to get dragged-” 

Guiral had him by the throat and lifted Sorah up like a dog. The axe fell. My feet struggled to prop myself up as I screamed someone’s name. I hadn’t paid attention to what Guiral was doing the entire time. While Sorah and I were focused on the two guards I’d completely avoided the one and only problem in this fight. 

Time seemed to slow. Guiral's grip on Sorah's throat tightened, and the young man struggled, gasping for breath. He kicked and punched into the air helplessly and endlessly, while I barely caught my own balance and breath. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I charged towards the officer. My feet felt heavy with fatigue, but determination pushed me forward. 

With a flick of his wrist, he deflected my attack and sent me sprawling to the ground once more. The pain in my body was drowned out by the fear. The fear of losing. The fear of failure. The fear of death.

"You will have your turn, Kaizenji Kawari!" Guiral bellowed, his voice commanding and merciless parted the mist around him. "This rebel will face the consequences of his actions. For serving the Kokmin, the treasonous organization that seeks to undermine this nation. If you were to hear the coups of heinous acts they have done, then you too would lay down your arms!" 

“Shut up! Leave Sorah alone!” Ruri let out a scream before jumping from one of the buildings above. She latched onto Guiral’s neck and pressed her hands into his face. Yet he remained unfazed. With a single push Qawasumi crashed into one of the nearby windows and shattered the glass and wooden walls. “Sorah… Is not a rebel nor a fighter…” 

Sorah's struggles weakened with desperation in his eyes. He had sacrificed so much for his family, and now he was putting his life on the line for mine. I couldn't let it end like this. I didn’t want to fail. I didn’t want to die. My selfish reasons invaded my mind last minute, convincing myself that I needed to do something. I staggered to my feet. 

“Mister Kaizenji… Get down…” Ruri coughed as she raised her hand over her own array of stats. Her screen lit up before her as I crouched down. She took her snapped bow and fused it back in one. Her fingers tiredly plucked two arrows from her quiver as she aimed directly at Guiral’s head. I heard the ticking of a clock, just like that time with the bandits in the forest. Qawasumi let go of the bowstring. 

Two arrows leapt into action only to be deflected by a barrier surrounding the officer. With that, I concluded that the barrier only affected projectiles. Just like how Sorah’s icicles had no effect on him as well. However the arrow’s special ability ticked in. 

The shield became visible before cracking into a thousand pieces. Guiral’s eyes widened. An opening. 

Sorah fell onto my shoulder as I dashed across the street and broke him from the death grip. I opened the door to the structure in front of me, and Qawasumi rushed inside as well. I took a glance outside, to see Guiral holding his arm out to his side. 

“Sorah, Sorah!” Qawasumi bent down and patted him down, checking his neck and torso. “No…” 

Sorah’s scarf reddened as his side began to dampen. He’d been cut while I grabbed him from Guiral. I knelt down and ripped the scarf off him. “Qawasumi, don’t you know any healing spell, magic, something?!” 

“Healing spells are only a specialty of the Koronese Branch…” Her voice waivered as she spoke more slowly. “I- I only have the Wawaqi Branch unlocked…” 

“Dammit!” I slammed my fist onto the wall. There had to be something. Someway I could treat his wound. Patching it up wouldn’t just be enough. There had to be something. “Help him up with me. There should be a backdoor to this place.”

I called out to the voice that talked to me in the first place. The one that told me to protect the door in the forest with my life, the one that warned me of the Royal Marshal. If I couldn’t stop Guiral’s advance, then how could I protect the door? Was this voice even on my side at all?

“Then I shall move it for you.” 

We lifted Sorah arm and arm, after tying his scarf around his bleeding wound. My body could barely handle carrying him even when she bore most of Sorah’s weight. I’d never been in such a strenuous scenario before. After stumbling multiple times on shelves and furniture, we reached the backdoor of the building. I still attempted to think of a strategy, a plan, where to go, what to do, once we exit. Guiral would still chase after us. It would be a never ending pursuit. 

My hands grasped the doorknob as I pushed it open. 

We were expecting the darkness of the night to greet us in darkness, but met the morning sun shining through the nearby blinds. A modern bed sat in the corner of the room, while an office desk stood empty and gathering dust. We sat down Sorah on the bed as Qawasumi sat down as well while I closed the door shut. The shelves rumbled nearby to the force of the slam, as I put together where we were. The birds trilled outside the song for the day. 

“My room?...”