"Ahhhhhh..."
Vlad shot up, sounding like a sore old man.
"I almost died..."
[If it weren't for the serpent, you would have died.]
Vlad lowered his gaze to his armor as the voice spoke.
He hadn't expected the serpent that had embraced him that day to manifest itself in this way.
"Yes."
[So, we're going once more later.]
Vlad ignored the voice, reminding himself why he had come here.
The crack in the ground was slowly approaching.
Rutiger and the knights following him.
And below, the priests and knights, too bewildered to realize they had fallen.
"Eh?"
[...]
And among them was the figure of a very familiar man.
Ddddddddd-!
Even as the boy panicked, the crack separating the meadow continued to widen inexorably.
Rutiger and the knights tried to keep up, but, as the voice said, the speed of the Death Worm underground was such that not even a herd of wild horses could keep pace.
"Ahhh!"
And the crack in the meadow, spreading at a dizzying speed, aimed straight ahead.
Exactly, straight, unwavering, towards the horde of pilgrims.
"Bring the priests!"
"Let those who are ready go first!"
Heeeeehee-.
The knights' cry and the horses' braying.
And the ominous creaking of evil approaching, swallowing up all those sounds.
A great and irresistible violence was rushing towards them.
"It can't be..."
In the urgency of the situation, Vlad recognized a priest getting up.
The only priest the boy had known, and one he should never forget.
His piercing entrance stabbed painfully into the boy's eyes and reached his heart.
"Damn it!"
Coincidences sometimes come in the form of destiny, forcing a choice.
Faced with such cruelty, most people would bow their heads and take the easy way out, but the boy was not one of them.
He was a man who had always fought with all his might.
"....!"
Gritting his teeth, Vlad hardened his determination and jumped towards Rutiger with all his might.
He was still breathless from the incessant beats of his heart, but the boy didn't stop.
There were two things he still held in his arms.
One was Alicia's handkerchief.
And the boy's identification plate, endorsed by Andreas.
"Father Andreas!"
The first person to vouch for him when he was nobody.
The one who had given the boy the roots to put down in the world was down there.
Forgetting the surprise and pain of rolling down the hill, the boy ran towards the approaching crack.
He was hurling himself into the face of great violence from which anyone would want to flee.
***
"Over here! Over here!" Vlad waved his hands, trying to make himself visible in some way.
"…!"
And a dark-skinned man, atop a moving horse, spotted the figure.
But there was a huge, insurmountable gap between them, and along that gap, a young Deathworm was attempting to overwhelm the group of pilgrims.
Somehow, the timing was right, but the space was not.
"No…."
Vlad said as he watched the crack slide past him without any pause.
"No!"
Vlad shouted furiously at the Deathworm that had ignored him.
I can't be helpless again, facing a world so vast that I can do nothing.
[¡Vlad!]
Realizing what Vlad was about to do, the voice urgently tried to stop him, but the boy had already made a decision.
Now is the time to do it.
If I have to do it, I won't hesitate.
Ignoring the voice, Vlad tossed the imprint into the air, grasping it tightly.
A sheet of white paper fell from the sky.
"Take that, you bastard!"
The determined swing of the sword drew the boy's resolve.
The paper tore, and simultaneously, intricate patterns filled the sword.
The sword began to vibrate as it followed the black and shiny tracks.
With the boy's anger against the Deathworm.
[…It's insufficient, awaken your world.]
The voice, wanting to be as scornful as possible but understanding Vlad better than anyone, offered advice to the boy.
If he was going to try it anyway, he shouldn't regret it.
[You must amplify the vibrations!]
Dorothea's imprint was delicate, but it wasn't enough to catch the attention of the Deathworm, which already had its prey in sight.
Her imprint needed enhancement.
"Hmph!"
Following the advice of the voice, Vlad struck his sword against the ground.
Then he closed his left eye.
To shut out the still weak world of his soul.
At this moment, even if Jager were here, he wouldn't say anything about the boy's behavior.
It was for the best.
"…Rise."
The day he first said his name to God.
He remembered the sunlight shining through the stained glass and falling onto his shoulders.
It was warm and welcoming, and above all, he could see the priest smiling at him.
"Rise!"
With the boy's cry, a faint glow began to emanate from the sword that had been weeping.
White, green, and blue.
The boy's world, which had not yet found its own color, was filled with the colors of the surrounding knights.
They were subtle but beautiful colors.
Woof-woof-woof.
Dorothea's imprint merged with the boy's world and began to create a massive vibration.
There was no tremor, but the air rippled, and there was no sound, but everyone present could hear it.
It was like a child's cry: "I'm here!"
"…!"
The young Deathworm was rushing toward the pilgrims with blood in its mouth.
The mute boy's screams could also be heard.
It was a voice more resonant than any other, a voice urging him forward from his own forehead.
So, he turned his head.
Krrrrrr-.
The crunching sound stopped.
The Deathworm recognized the boy's world.
The heart of the Deathworm beat strongly as it sensed the boy.
"…"
"…"
And everyone in the place looked at the radiant boy.
Woof-woof-woof.
For a moment, the boy's presence dominated everything.
I am here.
"…Go!"
"Vlad, throw me the sword!"
After what felt like an eternity, Deathworm's head moved slightly, and Rutiger's shout was heard.
The boy's presence momentarily stopped time in the meadow but did not dominate it.
The boy's world remained too faint a possibility for that.
But it was a struggle that served a purpose.
Kaaaaaah-!
Adjusting its target, Deathworm emerged from the ground and lunged at the boy.
With a movement much faster than the voice had predicted.
As if it had been waiting for this moment.
[Dodge!]
"Stop…"
The urgency in the voice didn't make it easy for Vlad to open his closed eyes.
A faint world, still unsettled.
The boy's achievements were insufficient to quickly open that world.
A jet-black shadow fell over Vlad's cowering head.
It came from a giant gesture of despair.
"No!"
Everyone squeezed their eyes shut in anticipation of what would happen next.
Rutiger rushed to save the boy, but the space between them was as impassable as the passage of time.
[Aura with armor…!]
A massive presence that drowned even the cries of the voices.
The moment the boy unconsciously held his sword against a huge Deathworm crashing into him.
"….!"
Something blacker than the shadows of despair created by Deathworm.
Something as black as the color of a moonless night enveloped the boy's eyes.
Kwagagagang-!
Before the enormous world could crush the boy.
***
The wind whistling past your ears.
The sound of a massive heart within the hands of the boy.
The warm, pulsating blood coursing through his muscles.
A dust cloud covered Vlad's back.
But before it could envelop the boy, Vlad was already out of its reach.
They couldn't keep up with the boy's speed.
Somewhere between excitement and surprise.
In the blink of an eye, Vlad opened his closed eyes and found himself on the back of the horse.
[Hahaha...]
Vlad rolled onto his back, not hearing the relieved groan in his voice.
The wind howled, and everything around him buzzed past.
The boy swore he had never felt such speed in his life.
"..."
Vlad opened the palms of his hands to face the wind.
The heavy stream of air slipped between his fingers.
"Ha! Ha, ha, ha!"
Vlad now laughed heartily, though he had been on the brink of death moments ago.
The scene of his dreams unfolded before his eyes.
Kaaaaaaaah!
"..."
The Deathworm's howl came from behind the boy, who had momentarily forgotten his reality.
He had succeeded in his intentions, but it was not over.
"Vlad! Vlad! Are you okay?"
A dark-haired knight rode towards the boy running with the Deathworm's roar.
"I think I'm okay!"
"Good!"
When Rutiger and the knights rushed to stop the Deathworm, they realized the boy had imprinted his own sword.
A sacrifice for the sake of others.
It related to the Master of Swords' second discipline.
The boy, though just a squire, had fulfilled his duties as well as any knight here.
"A good and brave decision. Although, of course, it is an act that will not go without praise."
"......"
Once Vlad's behavior was pointed out, having committed once without thinking of the aftermath, Rutiger rode alongside the boy and looked at the approaching rift.
"Do you think you can move?"
"What?"
It was a tough request for a boy who had barely managed to get on a horse, but Rutiger knew he could do it.
Something in the dark eyes of the horse convinced him.
"The pilgrims will only be safe if we deal with that suspicious creature. We have a fight on our hands."
"But that's a Deathworm..."
"I can do it."
At that moment, Vlad could see.
The remnants of flames burning intensely in Rutiger's eyes.
"You have Dorothea's imprint, and you ride a good horse, so you should be able to lead it."
Vlad could see what Rutiger was trying to do.
He was going to use Vlad as bait to deal with the Deathworm in one blow.
"Can you do it?"
"Sure..."
Instead of answering, Vlad stroked the neck of the black horse.
He slightly turned his head to look at him, his eyes strangely trusting.
I see.
You're here to save someone too.
"I can do it."
"Good."
As soon as he heard Vlad's confident response, Rutiger quickly raised a finger to indicate how to proceed.
"Turn around like this... and come towards me."
Vlad nodded impatiently, but Rutiger's eyes were actually on the horse he was riding, not the boy.
He could almost see the black horse nodding to his fingers.
"Be careful."
The boy and the horse nodded, and Rutiger and the knights moved away.
Kaaaaaah!
The Deathworm burrowed into the ground again, chasing after the boy.
"Let's go!"
On his saddleless horse, the boy gripped the black horse's mane with his thighs.
Heeeeeeeeeee.
A cry like no other.
Not a pitiful cry for a dying herd, but rather a determination to end them.
With determination, the black azabache horse began to accelerate.
"Ugh!"
A different sensation of speed than now.
Now with a speed that was almost frightening, Vlad clung to the neck of the horse and closed his eyes.
The boy was a novice in riding.
[Lower the sword; you must make your presence known through your vibrations to attract it.]
But the boy was a man on a mission.
And on his own will.
"..."
It was hard for him to keep his eyes open, but Vlad saw Rutiger in the distance, dismounting and drawing his sword, waiting for him.
He had to do it.
He had promised to do it.
"Ha!"
The sensation of speed for the first time in his life.
The dizzying hoof of the horse hitting the ground.
Although everything was new to him, Vlad stretched the sword towards the ground to give his best.
"One more... more!"
Considering the boy's position, almost lying sideways, the horse balanced him in place.
Looking at the rift behind him, Vlad lowered his sword to the ground.
Kagang- Kagang- Kagang
Sparks flew from the sword, generated by the heat of friction between the steel and the earth.
"Behold, I am here!"
The boy's world faintly filtered through those sparks.
Dorothea's imprint, carrier of Aura, began to spread vibrations through the subsurface via the sword.
Deep.
So deep that it was impossible not to bite into it.
Kaaaaaaaah-!
The ground cracked open with the rift.
A giant Deathworm emerged from below, chasing after the boy once again.
"This way!"
But the boy was not alone now.
A single star shone in the moonless night.
The shadow of a fallen dragon ran after him.
The boy shouted with all his might at the irrational and enormous worm.
that he was here.
Kaaaaaaaah!
"Kaaaaaaaaah!"
The remnants of the dragon roared loudly, as if tearing through the prairie.
In response to his presence, the boy also shouted loudly.
Two worlds with no hint of concession.
All worlds are worthy of existence, but if they are destined to collide, only the brightest will survive.
Look, boy, the dragon is chasing you.
Towards you, who are shining.
"Ahhhhhh..."
Vlad shot up, sounding like a sore old man.
"I almost died..."
[If it weren't for the serpent, you would have died.]
Vlad lowered his gaze to his armor as the voice spoke.
He hadn't expected the serpent that had embraced him that day to manifest itself in this way.
"Yes."
[So, we're going once more later.]
Vlad ignored the voice, reminding himself why he had come here.
The crack in the ground was slowly approaching.
Rutiger and the knights following him.
And below, the priests and knights, too bewildered to realize they had fallen.
"Eh?"
[...]
And among them was the figure of a very familiar man.
Ddddddddd-!
Even as the boy panicked, the crack separating the meadow continued to widen inexorably.
Rutiger and the knights tried to keep up, but, as the voice said, the speed of the Death Worm underground was such that not even a herd of wild horses could keep pace.
"Ahhh!"
And the crack in the meadow, spreading at a dizzying speed, aimed straight ahead.
Exactly, straight, unwavering, towards the horde of pilgrims.
"Bring the priests!"
"Let those who are ready go first!"
Heeeeehee-.
The knights' cry and the horses' braying.
And the ominous creaking of evil approaching, swallowing up all those sounds.
A great and irresistible violence was rushing towards them.
"It can't be..."
In the urgency of the situation, Vlad recognized a priest getting up.
The only priest the boy had known, and one he should never forget.
His piercing entrance stabbed painfully into the boy's eyes and reached his heart.
"Damn it!"
Coincidences sometimes come in the form of destiny, forcing a choice.
Faced with such cruelty, most people would bow their heads and take the easy way out, but the boy was not one of them.
He was a man who had always fought with all his might.
"....!"
Gritting his teeth, Vlad hardened his determination and jumped towards Rutiger with all his might.
He was still breathless from the incessant beats of his heart, but the boy didn't stop.
There were two things he still held in his arms.
One was Alicia's handkerchief.
And the boy's identification plate, endorsed by Andreas.
"Father Andreas!"
The first person to vouch for him when he was nobody.
The one who had given the boy the roots to put down in the world was down there.
Forgetting the surprise and pain of rolling down the hill, the boy ran towards the approaching crack.
He was hurling himself into the face of great violence from which anyone would want to flee.
***
"Over here! Over here!" Vlad waved his hands, trying to make himself visible in some way.
"…!"
And a dark-skinned man, atop a moving horse, spotted the figure.
But there was a huge, insurmountable gap between them, and along that gap, a young Deathworm was attempting to overwhelm the group of pilgrims.
Somehow, the timing was right, but the space was not.
"No…."
Vlad said as he watched the crack slide past him without any pause.
"No!"
Vlad shouted furiously at the Deathworm that had ignored him.
I can't be helpless again, facing a world so vast that I can do nothing.
[¡Vlad!]
Realizing what Vlad was about to do, the voice urgently tried to stop him, but the boy had already made a decision.
Now is the time to do it.
If I have to do it, I won't hesitate.
Ignoring the voice, Vlad tossed the imprint into the air, grasping it tightly.
A sheet of white paper fell from the sky.
"Take that, you bastard!"
The determined swing of the sword drew the boy's resolve.
The paper tore, and simultaneously, intricate patterns filled the sword.
The sword began to vibrate as it followed the black and shiny tracks.
With the boy's anger against the Deathworm.
[…It's insufficient, awaken your world.]
The voice, wanting to be as scornful as possible but understanding Vlad better than anyone, offered advice to the boy.
If he was going to try it anyway, he shouldn't regret it.
[You must amplify the vibrations!]
Dorothea's imprint was delicate, but it wasn't enough to catch the attention of the Deathworm, which already had its prey in sight.
Her imprint needed enhancement.
"Hmph!"
Following the advice of the voice, Vlad struck his sword against the ground.
Then he closed his left eye.
To shut out the still weak world of his soul.
At this moment, even if Jager were here, he wouldn't say anything about the boy's behavior.
It was for the best.
"…Rise."
The day he first said his name to God.
He remembered the sunlight shining through the stained glass and falling onto his shoulders.
It was warm and welcoming, and above all, he could see the priest smiling at him.
"Rise!"
With the boy's cry, a faint glow began to emanate from the sword that had been weeping.
White, green, and blue.
The boy's world, which had not yet found its own color, was filled with the colors of the surrounding knights.
They were subtle but beautiful colors.
Woof-woof-woof.
Dorothea's imprint merged with the boy's world and began to create a massive vibration.
There was no tremor, but the air rippled, and there was no sound, but everyone present could hear it.
It was like a child's cry: "I'm here!"
"…!"
The young Deathworm was rushing toward the pilgrims with blood in its mouth.
The mute boy's screams could also be heard.
It was a voice more resonant than any other, a voice urging him forward from his own forehead.
So, he turned his head.
Krrrrrr-.
The crunching sound stopped.
The Deathworm recognized the boy's world.
The heart of the Deathworm beat strongly as it sensed the boy.
"…"
"…"
And everyone in the place looked at the radiant boy.
Woof-woof-woof.
For a moment, the boy's presence dominated everything.
I am here.
"…Go!"
"Vlad, throw me the sword!"
After what felt like an eternity, Deathworm's head moved slightly, and Rutiger's shout was heard.
The boy's presence momentarily stopped time in the meadow but did not dominate it.
The boy's world remained too faint a possibility for that.
But it was a struggle that served a purpose.
Kaaaaaah-!
Adjusting its target, Deathworm emerged from the ground and lunged at the boy.
With a movement much faster than the voice had predicted.
As if it had been waiting for this moment.
[Dodge!]
"Stop…"
The urgency in the voice didn't make it easy for Vlad to open his closed eyes.
A faint world, still unsettled.
The boy's achievements were insufficient to quickly open that world.
A jet-black shadow fell over Vlad's cowering head.
It came from a giant gesture of despair.
"No!"
Everyone squeezed their eyes shut in anticipation of what would happen next.
Rutiger rushed to save the boy, but the space between them was as impassable as the passage of time.
[Aura with armor…!]
A massive presence that drowned even the cries of the voices.
The moment the boy unconsciously held his sword against a huge Deathworm crashing into him.
"….!"
Something blacker than the shadows of despair created by Deathworm.
Something as black as the color of a moonless night enveloped the boy's eyes.
Kwagagagang-!
Before the enormous world could crush the boy.
***
The wind whistling past your ears.
The sound of a massive heart within the hands of the boy.
The warm, pulsating blood coursing through his muscles.
A dust cloud covered Vlad's back.
But before it could envelop the boy, Vlad was already out of its reach.
They couldn't keep up with the boy's speed.
Somewhere between excitement and surprise.
In the blink of an eye, Vlad opened his closed eyes and found himself on the back of the horse.
[Hahaha...]
Vlad rolled onto his back, not hearing the relieved groan in his voice.
The wind howled, and everything around him buzzed past.
The boy swore he had never felt such speed in his life.
"..."
Vlad opened the palms of his hands to face the wind.
The heavy stream of air slipped between his fingers.
"Ha! Ha, ha, ha!"
Vlad now laughed heartily, though he had been on the brink of death moments ago.
The scene of his dreams unfolded before his eyes.
Kaaaaaaaah!
"..."
The Deathworm's howl came from behind the boy, who had momentarily forgotten his reality.
He had succeeded in his intentions, but it was not over.
"Vlad! Vlad! Are you okay?"
A dark-haired knight rode towards the boy running with the Deathworm's roar.
"I think I'm okay!"
"Good!"
When Rutiger and the knights rushed to stop the Deathworm, they realized the boy had imprinted his own sword.
A sacrifice for the sake of others.
It related to the Master of Swords' second discipline.
The boy, though just a squire, had fulfilled his duties as well as any knight here.
"A good and brave decision. Although, of course, it is an act that will not go without praise."
"......"
Once Vlad's behavior was pointed out, having committed once without thinking of the aftermath, Rutiger rode alongside the boy and looked at the approaching rift.
"Do you think you can move?"
"What?"
It was a tough request for a boy who had barely managed to get on a horse, but Rutiger knew he could do it.
Something in the dark eyes of the horse convinced him.
"The pilgrims will only be safe if we deal with that suspicious creature. We have a fight on our hands."
"But that's a Deathworm..."
"I can do it."
At that moment, Vlad could see.
The remnants of flames burning intensely in Rutiger's eyes.
"You have Dorothea's imprint, and you ride a good horse, so you should be able to lead it."
Vlad could see what Rutiger was trying to do.
He was going to use Vlad as bait to deal with the Deathworm in one blow.
"Can you do it?"
"Sure..."
Instead of answering, Vlad stroked the neck of the black horse.
He slightly turned his head to look at him, his eyes strangely trusting.
I see.
You're here to save someone too.
"I can do it."
"Good."
As soon as he heard Vlad's confident response, Rutiger quickly raised a finger to indicate how to proceed.
"Turn around like this... and come towards me."
Vlad nodded impatiently, but Rutiger's eyes were actually on the horse he was riding, not the boy.
He could almost see the black horse nodding to his fingers.
"Be careful."
The boy and the horse nodded, and Rutiger and the knights moved away.
Kaaaaaah!
The Deathworm burrowed into the ground again, chasing after the boy.
"Let's go!"
On his saddleless horse, the boy gripped the black horse's mane with his thighs.
Heeeeeeeeeee.
A cry like no other.
Not a pitiful cry for a dying herd, but rather a determination to end them.
With determination, the black azabache horse began to accelerate.
"Ugh!"
A different sensation of speed than now.
Now with a speed that was almost frightening, Vlad clung to the neck of the horse and closed his eyes.
The boy was a novice in riding.
[Lower the sword; you must make your presence known through your vibrations to attract it.]
But the boy was a man on a mission.
And on his own will.
"..."
It was hard for him to keep his eyes open, but Vlad saw Rutiger in the distance, dismounting and drawing his sword, waiting for him.
He had to do it.
He had promised to do it.
"Ha!"
The sensation of speed for the first time in his life.
The dizzying hoof of the horse hitting the ground.
Although everything was new to him, Vlad stretched the sword towards the ground to give his best.
"One more... more!"
Considering the boy's position, almost lying sideways, the horse balanced him in place.
Looking at the rift behind him, Vlad lowered his sword to the ground.
Kagang- Kagang- Kagang
Sparks flew from the sword, generated by the heat of friction between the steel and the earth.
"Behold, I am here!"
The boy's world faintly filtered through those sparks.
Dorothea's imprint, carrier of Aura, began to spread vibrations through the subsurface via the sword.
Deep.
So deep that it was impossible not to bite into it.
Kaaaaaaaah-!
The ground cracked open with the rift.
A giant Deathworm emerged from below, chasing after the boy once again.
"This way!"
But the boy was not alone now.
A single star shone in the moonless night.
The shadow of a fallen dragon ran after him.
The boy shouted with all his might at the irrational and enormous worm.
that he was here.
Kaaaaaaaah!
"Kaaaaaaaaah!"
The remnants of the dragon roared loudly, as if tearing through the prairie.
In response to his presence, the boy also shouted loudly.
Two worlds with no hint of concession.
All worlds are worthy of existence, but if they are destined to collide, only the brightest will survive.
Look, boy, the dragon is chasing you.
Towards you, who are shining.
