"""PRINCESS!!/NO!!/AAaaa!!"""

Screams and shrieks of horror were accompanied by harried steps from the direction the golden-haired elf came from, knocking those who were starting to doubt her identity out of their hopeful denial.

"It's not my fault, she ran into it herself. It's not my fault, she ......"

Cruz's limbs started turning rigid as fear clouded over his expression, repeatedly murmuring the two sentences under his breath while standing frozen in place.

"This fool!"

The leader looked at the dazed Cruz beside him with anger and helplessness, feeling a deep sorrow rising from the depths of his heart. However, he knew what he needed to do now, and there was no room for hesitation.

"For the chieftain!"

The leader snatched the crossbow from Cruz's arms and pushed him onto the ground, cutting the figure of a martyr in a battlefield as he dashed forward with the weapon in hand, his eyes containing a strong resolve to die.

He understood that escaping was not an option for them, not because of the difficulty of the deed, but because the consequences of a successful escape were heavier. Someone needed to bear the forefront of their rage here, and he and his men had no choice but to lay down their lives here.

As for Cruz, no matter how much he hated Cruz at this moment, he understood his importance to the chieftain, and they did too, so he believed that they wouldn't do anything to him as long as reason remained in them, and he was willing to pay the price for it to happen.

A similar look appeared on the other squad members as they bravely charged forward towards the figures that were speedily making their way through the trees towards the princess.

Before long, a shower of arrows fell on each of them, but none of them even attempted to dodge, welcoming the arrows head-on before falling limply on the ground as they breathed their last, a brave show of loyalty to their chieftain.

Crimson flowers bloomed when the downpour ended, casting the golden field in a sinister light not usually present. Two slender figures raced across the field without delay after this, moving to apprehend the last elf that remained of the group.

When the two elves caught sight of the elf lying on the floor chanting to himself, even the deep worry and unease let up for a moment as a hateful glare flashed across their face.

A look of hesitation appeared on one of the elves as she gripped the hilt of her dagger tightly, but the other figure noticed this and hastily moved up to obstruct the dagger with her palm, shaking her head sideways as she looked into the former's eyes.

A disgruntled look appeared on her face, but she slowly let go of the hilt and moved to apprehend Cruz. This process went exceedingly smoothly as they met with almost no resistance, returning to their companions while dragging Cruz's body in tow behind them.

"It's not me, it's ... it's HIM! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! IT'S ALZ'S FAULT!! IT'S ALZ's ......" Cruz suddenly turned his bloodshot eyes towards Alz, staring daggers at him across the field.

*Tak*. The elf who stopped her companion from drawing the dagger earlier suddenly elbowed Cruz at the back of his head, shutting off the broken recorder that just couldn't seem to stop clattering.

---

The golden glow before him suddenly moved, revealing a face that he had gotten accustomed to seeing over the past few months, looking towards him with hi---her deep black eyes that were mired in concern.

"Ar..."

She tried to say something, but her body collapsed limply to the ground before she could finish her words.

Despite this, her message still came across clearly, for her gaze easily made up for the missing words and more, especially when it was not the first time he had received such a gaze.

"KAI!!"

Alz roared with helplessness and anger in his voice as a sharp pain shot up from his chest, triggering the memory buried in the deepest depths of this heart, the one scar he had never been able to muster the courage to confront directly.

"Nothing changed... WHY AM I STILL SO USELESS!”

Back then, he could only watch powerlessly as the horde of wolves attacked them, becoming the biggest regret of his life.

He had worked hard since then, he had obtained incredible knowledge from the archives, he had crafted tools and learned superior ways of combat, he had returned to the village and took revenge on those detestable creatures.

Yet, nothing had changed this time, as he was once again forced to watch powerlessly by the side while another elf he cared about fell before his eyes to protect him.

"I should just join them..."

The two memories superimposed in his mind, bringing great grief to Alz as he stared soullessly at 'Kai', rapidly eating away at his mind and diminishing his will to live.

The two elves suspending Alz by the side suddenly released their grip, causing Alz to fall on his knees as he continued to stare at Kai with tears rolling down his cheeks, unconcerned of everything else that was happening in the surroundings.

"I have to take a good look at her!"

Alz's mind was beginning to drift away from the pain and fatigue with his broken will when the flame in his eyes burned anew, dragging his battered body forward as he realised that there was still one more thing he needed to do.

Suddenly, his ears twitched as he approached her body, causing his eyes to widen and his heart to start racing. A strong look of determination appeared on his face as he propped himself up against his muscles' protest, rushing over to her side impatiently.

"There's still a pulse!"

Alz gently cradled her body in his arms and placed his ears closer to her body, his expression lighting up with joy as he heard the weak breathing sounds she was giving out, solidifying the colour of determination in his eyes further.

"Get away from the princess!" just then, an openly hostile voice came from behind Alz, accompanied by several frantic footsteps making their way towards him, or her rather.

A fierce glint flashed across Alz's eyes as he detected the hostility in the voice, but he quickly held it back in with the shreds of reason that remained in him.

Yet, before he even got a chance to speak, one of the elves was trying to forcefully shove him away while the other was attempting to snatch the princess from his arms.

He might have been out of it earlier, but his mind had been working overtime since he found out that she was still alive, and it didn't take more than instant to deduce the identity of these people from the current developments.

However, there was also another thing that he understood, that these people might be her allies, but they were not his. Time was of the essence now, so he couldn't afford to waste it on getting them to listen to him, hence he instantly made a decision.

Alz carefully placed the princess down on the arms of the elf in front of him before moving a small distance as he turned to look coldly at the other elf, causing her arm to miss him.

Both elves were confused by his actions for different reasons, but he was the least of their concerns now as they hurriedly shifted their attention to the princess, their breaths becoming heavier as they saw the arrow that pierced across her chest close-up.

Although, just because they weren't paying attention to Alz didn't mean that he was planning to do the same. Before she even retracted her arm fully, Alz closed in on the elf who tried to shove him earlier with quick movements his injured body didn't seem capable of, striking her off balance and knocking her to the ground.

"Release her!" a female voice shouted out.

Owing to how unexpected this was, the others only managed to react after a brief pause, as the elf who was carrying the princess hurriedly backed off from Alz while three of her comrades went straight for Alz to help their comrade and another three pointed their bows at him.

The two who went to capture Alz also reacted hastily and dropped Cruz's body to the ground, drawing their bows and arrows and aiming it towards Alz.

However, all of them were moving cautiously, not daring to make any sudden movements as they looked towards Alz.

It was not that they didn't want to apprehend him, but Alz had backed off during the time they reacted and stolen the dagger from their comrade's waist, holding the blade up towards her neck as he met their gazes.

After a quick scan, Alz noticed that all the attention was gathered on him, nodding inwardly as he took a deep breath.

"THE PRINCESS IS NOT DEAD YET, WE CAN STILL SAVE HER!" Alz dropped his weapon and jumped away from the elf he captured, yelling loudly with both arms raised.