Lionel Sidonis
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Dick thought these couple of days was a very strange experience; one moment he was in the company of Red Ribbon Army, doing morning drill, then one second later, he appeared in another world, tasked to protect a person.

He had fought big hogs and goblins, lately struggled against a bunch of animals and trees, now was in shooting action, killing undead dogs.

The reason why he joined the Red Ribbon Army was simply he wished for an easy life; the army was after all quite feared in its own way, many didn't dare to offend.

Yet here he was, risking his life, possibly died at any time, for the sake of one gold coin...

Sounds very cheap and not worth the effort.

But he had given his words to Mr. Star, at first he thought this man was no different than other jackasses in a suit, but the latter proved him wrong.

Well, for the starter, this man didn't treat him, or Dick and Jason, like a dirtbag, even if he did admit, they kind of were.

They barely could do a thing to provide him security, instead only getting saved from time to time again, he was pretty sure Jason and Damian also felt the same, this intense shame and embarrassment.

Did they even worth the reward again? Did they have the guts to even demand a single one?

Mr. Star also shared a few wealth he found, moreover also spent many resources to supplement the necessity like extra ammo and tents.

He might as well their nanny instead of their boss, fulfilling their every need without asking too much in return.

Dick knitted his eyebrows, shot dead one hellhound that leaped toward inside, thinking these animals really dumb as fuck; their brethren had been slaughtered, yet many still followed the footsteps.

"You know, it's been bugging me..." Damian ejected the rifle's clip and inserted a new one before started shooting again, "these hellhounds thing is an undead, right?"

"Yeah?" Jason and Dick wrinkled their eyebrows.

"So, that meant they are kind of dead already...." Damian said, "why they still can be killed?"

"What do you mean?"

"Um... let's put it this way... when we are dead, our soul will go to the underworld, right? Waiting for a sort of judgment or some shit, then afterward we either fuck up or in paradise, I mean all of the living creature will experience that kind of crap, right?"

"What's your point?" Jason grunted in annoyance, they were in intensive combat here, and you still had the leeway to make things confusing.

"My point is... these hellhounds are already dead, why we can still kill them? Where will they go once we had put them down? I mean, how can you kill something that already dead?"

Dick and Jason startled, never expected Damian would make interesting points, how can we kill something that already dead?

They watched a horror movie, of course, they understood that sometimes there were creatures that just sort of bounce back from the graveyard, something about unrest or restless soul, probably due to some regret or intense grudge.

These souls usually required a certain ceremony or ritual to appease their hatred, thus they could passing from the world in peace.

But the kind of creature like hellhounds? They were monsters with no reason coming back other than to cannibalized a living creature.

Could a creature like this really be killed? When they easily could just return back to the world of the living?

"So killing them is useless then since these dogs just will return at some points? All of this was a worthless effort?" Dick hesitantly said.

"No, no, of course not, we are distracting them, it's not useless..." Damian said, "I just thought of something, it probably will help Mr. Star greatly."

"How?"

(***)

...

Where is this?

Where am I?

Alexis opened her eyes and found herself in a sort of strange white place, she looked at her attire, noticed she wore a plain white gown.

The young lady moved her bare feet to walk a couple of distance, she saw no end of this white place.

She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her throat, she chattered her mouth, truly no words could be uttered.

Alexis worriedly glanced around, had no idea how could end up here... the blonde closed her eyes and knitted her forehead, trying to remember the event before this.

She fought a lot of hellhounds, yes? Then, one of them managed to knock her down...

...

She couldn't remember what happened next... was she dead? Was here the afterlife? Nothing but a white blank space?

Well, she got to admit that she was pretty disappointed...

But at this moment, a hole suddenly appeared below her feet, the young lady startled but her body couldn't stop it, she fell straight to the hole.

She closed her eyes, didn't dare to imagine what kind of place she would crash into.

...

But for a long time she didn't feel any solid ground beneath her sole, Alexis opened her eyes and noticed the speed of her falling was actually very slow, she's more like floating down.

...

How long she had been falling? Was this the punishment those people like to mention? An endless floating down?

Actually it did work for her, there was nothing more torturing than eternal boredom, so prop to them for being right...

Alexis sighed, her mind couldn't help but went to the people she cared about, in the end, she couldn't meet her mother for the last time... and Elliot...

How's Elliot now? If she died inside the black dome, did that meant he would never know? But... might be it's for the best, she couldn't stand seeing the heartbroken expression on Elliot's face.

Also, Sir Star, how he fared now? Did he manage to survive? Was he still alive?

Alexis couldn't help but lamented how things always ended a failure for her... she couldn't help her mother... couldn't do anything for Elliot... now failed to even rescue Sir Star...

Annoying as it was, she admitted that she might deserve this death, nothing she did even worthwhile.

Hm?

The view around here now turned blurry, then they changed into a somewhat blue sky, Alexis was hovering among clouds.

On the far distance, she saw a cliff with a lone man stood at the edge, his long golden hair swayed following the East Wind.

...

Elliot?

For her life had long been spent watching over him, Alexis was impossible to mistake the man before her.

What he's doing there?

"Alexis... mother... she had finally passed away... " the man said, his voice was dulled and bland.

Mother's gone?!

Alexis gasped while grasping her mouth, her eyes widened as its corner brimming with tears, her mind returned to the sequence of events in the past; they played on the castle's park, her mother made a tiara out of rainbow flowers and put it on Alexis' head, the latter couldn't help but soaked with sweetness before it was destroyed by Elliot's rogue hand, the siblings finally had their first cold war since Elliot was ever born.

Then there was a day where she took Elliot out of the castle and played in the city, but she lost the boy along the way, couldn't find him even till evening, her mother slapped her for the first time, rebuking her for not taking care of Elliot carefully, the entire castle had sent out the knights to look Elliot all around the Avalon city, they found him sheltered by elderly couple, Alexis never been felt so guilty before.

"Alexis... I... I... couldn't tell her about you... even in her death bed, I..." the man slouched his back, his tone was like someone who would soon fall to depravity, "Alexis... I can't... father didn't even visit her despite the news I had sent to him... no one was coming to pay their condolence... mother died alone... she died alone..."

No, you were there with her... Elliot, you are on her side for the last time... Alexis tried to communicate, but her words died down in the silence.

"Hahaha... maybe this our fate... we are doomed to die without anyone care... I... don't want to live in this kind of world..." the man laughed, but his tone smeared with agony.

What are you saying?! Elliot, what are you going to do?!

"Mother... Sister... I am sorry but I unable to see the point in living any longer..." the man began to take his steps closer to the edge of the cliff, "I am coming... I am coming..."

No, No, No! Elliot, listen to me, don't do this! Alexis tore down her hair and face, trying to call the desperate man, but he didn't stop, he kept taking that step.

Anyone, please anyone, stop him, god, ancestor, I beg you...

Why this is happening?! What is our sin that we deserve this?!

Then... finally she saw the man tumbled down from the edge, his entire body disappeared from her sight, falling out of the cliff.

Aaah...

AAh...

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

(***)

"AAAAHHH!!!"

"Woah!"

Alexis abruptly rose to sit from the ground, her entire face was pale while sweating all over, she gasped for air, resembled as if had been deep in the ocean for a long time. Alex, Momo, and Shizuka were initially shocked by her sudden return, but then it immediately replaced with joy, Momo said, "Ms. Alexis, you're awake!!!"

"Eh?" the she-knight glanced to her side, finding the three familiar faces she had been looking for a couple of moments ago.

"Sir... Star?"

"Ms. Bella?"

"Ms. Kunoichi?"

They nodded, confirming what she saw isn't some impostors or her delusions.

Alexis went silent for a bit, then she startled and traces her abdomen and various spots on her body, there were no single wounds presented on it.

Even her tunic was perfectly fine, her pants had no single shred, it's like the fight she experienced before was nothing but a dream...

Or... this was actually the dream?

Momo smirked, extending her hand and pinched the beautiful knight's left cheek, the latter suddenly grimaced in pain, "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"See? All real, Ms. Alexis..." the girl sweetly smiled as she let go of the fine meat, Alexis traced the soreness on her face, while still looking confused.

"W-where are we?" Alexis said, she glanced around and saw wood-liked pillars surrounding them.

"Oh, we still in the Old Woodsman, this is the result of my ability, don't mind much..." Momo said.

"O-oh..." Alexis said, went silent for a while and about to say something before Alex lifted his hand.

"Ms. Alexis, I know you're confused, so let me explain for you to make it easy; when we heard your scream, we are already in nearby, so I left my three soldiers to attract the hellhound while the three of us come to save you, by the time we arrived, you have been wounded badly and in coma, you were this close to dying if not for the item I pick in the Goblin Treasure Vault."

"It was a sort of Potent Elixir that could rapidly restore and heal injury, but you still in a coma state, meanwhile, Momo and Shizuka replaced your attire as it became inappropriate."

"We didn't think you will actually wake up this sooner, thank the Great Lord for that," Alex smiled.

"..." hearing they came to rescue her, even giving up a powerful healing item like that, Alexis couldn't help but embarrassed, she's coming here with an intention to rescue, instead she had cause trouble for them.

"I am sorry, Sir Star... I-" she had not finished her words, but Alex once again cut her off.

"It's fine, I believe you are here because you have the solution to the current situation, right?"

Alexis startled, then she quickly nodded, she brought up her blue sword, said, "This is the solution!"

Alex, Momo, and Shizuka focused their eyes toward the item; the sword had its handle, pommel, and handguard made of gold, there was a blue gem etched on the handguard with the following blue edge with bright white on its middle blade.

"This sword called Lionel Sidonis, as you all know, this is the heirloom of my family, it had been wielded by various competent knight across our legacy..."

"The blue gem on the sword is a powerful rune powered by its previous wielder's life force; before of our death, we are obliged to pour our life force to help its next wielder in case of emergency."

"The gem gets stronger the more life force it receives, automatically strengthens the blade's sharpness and sturdiness, even clashing against a weapon with 100 times stronger material, this sword wouldn't be broken under any condition..."

"And there is also the second way to use the gem..."

Alexis took a deep breath, said, "I can activate the blue gem's function all at once by squandering all the life force inside, reaching the maximum power it can give to the blade, and according to the amount of life force it currently had, I believe my sword can reach the strength of the Saint!"

The strength of Saint?! That was the strength of the second strongest Rank in this world!

The three of them couldn't believe such power actually existed, according to their knowledge, a Saint Rank of Warrior or Mage was extremely scarce in this world, but this also brought the new terrifying idea in their mind; it required this degree of power to get them out of here?

"What's the drawback?" Alex stared at Alexi's face, his eyes squinted, "such strength is impossible without a price."

Alexis smiled, through his eyes, she could see some worried in them, said, "Don't worry, I will not die after I use this power... but..."

"This is one-time power-up only, once it has been fully activated, the gem will break and my sword will crumble along with it..."

"And it takes a long time to activate the gem because of the series of chants that I must focus to recite, I must not be disturbed, and I only have 3 seconds to use it, therefore, it's not really practical..."

Alex, Momo, and Shizuka glanced at each other; since Alexis' life was not at the stake of using this strength, they didn't think it's not worth to try.

"Are you Ms. Alexis? This is your family heirloom we speak about..." Alex said; he didn't want Alexis to have a sort of trouble in the future.

The she-knight sighed, she lifted the sword and looked dearly at the blade, she traced it with her hand.

"What's a tool if it can't be used?"

"..."

Alex stared deeply into her, the latter replied with conviction eyes, after a brief moment of silence, Alex nodded, said, "If you fine with it, then I will agree to it."

Alexis stood up from the ground, she was rather surprised that she brimmed with strength and vitality, this Elixir Alex used must have been really powerful, Alexis couldn't help but slightly felt guilty.

"I will need a protection while I use the power of the gem, can do you that Sir. Star?"

Alex grinned, he caressed Momo's hair, said, "You won't need protection, you just need a spot where no one can disturb you."

"?" Alexis tilted her head.

"Ms. Alexis, I alone am enough to support you, Alex and Shizuka had to return toward our friend's place, providing back up!" Momo sweetly smiled.

"O...k..." Alexis didn't mind with it, she believed Momo was not an ordinary character, perhaps even stronger than her.

Soon, Momo and Alexis walked from the area, the latter was surprised by the Devilukian's ability to grow a tree from her hand, couldn't help but marvel at it.

After they left, Shizuka looked at Alex, said with concern, "Are you fine with it, Alex?"

"..." Alex sighed, then revealed a bitter smile toward her, "What's a tool if it can't be used?"

Shizuka startled before she also let out a bitter smile, that meant from now on, she must be tightened his protection...

After all... you died when you were killed, right?

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