“Trouble?” I asked while rubbing my eyes, trying to get myself together after being woken up so crudely. But the moment I opened my mouth, Velma pressed her index finger onto her lips.

“Keep down, Junior…”

Kneeling next to the bed looking out of the room, she kept her eyes on the doorway as she gestured to me to get up. She must’ve just woken up herself before coming over to wake me thanks to her apparent bed-hair. Whatever was going on, she deemed it more important than preparing her looks. What I did piece together, however, it didn’t seem so peaceful as commotion ensued downstairs: screaming, hollering, pounding on furniture, and glass shattering shrieked out from below.

“Someone trying to rob the damn place in the freaking morning or something?” Velma shifted her body upwards to get a better look, and as she did, she furrowed her eyebrows. “What. The. Shit. Are you serious? That’s some top-tier unhinged wackjob!” she muttered under her breath.

Wackjob?

“Ah… pretend you didn’t hear that. Listen. Just stay here and do not reveal yourself under any circumstances until I tell you to.”

“Why? What’s happening out there? What’s going on—”

Velma only glared at me as if to say ‘Quiet’ as a response. Give me a break, I literally just woke up… At any rate, I scooted over by the frame and peeped through to get a better look. Through the wooden railings, I could make out people huddling in different corners of the parlor: those same familiar faces of the patrons from last night. They appeared shaky and startled, with their stares converging in the same direction: A single man stood in the center of the lobby. In his hand was a glowing bright red blade—its tip aimed towards those scared faces.

“Heard there’s a special informant around these parts, but I’d never think he’d be such a coward. I could spend valuable time looking for the guy, or I can cut down as many people as necessary until this informant yields. Which will it be?”

His looks were young, yet, his large stature cloaked in black dominated the center of the parlor. Dressed entirely in black with what seemed like a silver harness vest and a sword kept on his belt. The air he imbued sent a shiver down my spine as he stood tall against the cowering citizens.

“J—Just what do you want already?!” someone from the corner yelled out, their words choked.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me the first time. I want info about the tomb in which this ‘Artifact’ is located. And one person in this same room is aware of this information.”

“W—We don’t know of any tomb!”

“Just have mercy on us, p—please!!”

“Artifact? The hell is that guy talking about—Eek!”

Without warning, the man smashed a table with a single swing of his sword, pulverizing it in an instant. “Perhaps the word ‘death’ can jog something inside those thick skulls of yours?”

Velma beside me clicked her tongue. “No way. ‘Tomb’? Seriously? Don’t tell me he’s talking about the same place we’re heading off to…”

“Be that as it may,” the man tightened his grip on the hilt, “I didn’t come here today to slaughter you all. I loathe having my blade be stained in an impure red. But if it so needs to be a necessity, then I will.”

He approached the crowd, blade increasing in luminosity with every step taken. As the sword raised above his head, it was all I could do but to look away.

—Until a long-barreled firearm sprung out from the counter and positioned its target straight towards him. It was the innkeeper who emerged out with a rifle and held their grip on the trigger. They rested their arms on the counter, took an aim through the sights, and pulled.

“—Choke on this.”

The deafening shot alongside the flash of the barrel sprang out and filled the room—so much so, I thought I went both deaf and blind for an instant. But despite the seemingly perfect shot towards the perpetrator, it didn’t have an effect on him, as something... strange happened. The bullet didn’t connect. Rather, the man had disappeared for a split second, and then reappeared in the same exact spot.

“No way...” That was all the innkeeper could react to the sight before the man struck the rifle with his sword, destroying it into pieces.

“Insolent. Do you wish to die that badly?”

It would’ve been over for them, until—

“—W-What is this artifact you speak of?!” a cry suddenly shouted behind him. Even through the ringing of my ears from the rifle, that voice felt familiar. It was one of the gentlemen who shifted around wooden pieces on the checker-board grid… His face was covered in fear, yet he asked that question regardless.

“Ho? Delaying the inevitable?” The man turned around and set his eyes on the cowering gentleman. That’s what it was. He was delaying the inevitable, to buy more time for the innkeeper, for everyone in the parlor, for something to happen. “T-That’s a bold move to come in here and start wreaking havoc without a good reason to justify your actions. At… At least clarify your demands so we have a chance to give what you want!”

That would have locked the gentleman into his fate, but rather the man was instead taken back by his words. His cold demeanor remained as he paused.

“How terribly irritating… Very well. Perhaps I didn’t provide enough context to my request.” Without withdrawing his sword, he spoke, “Word has it that this is some treasure worth more than human lives: A treasure sealed off by a long forgotten king due to the power it commands. It’s an interesting little story that hardly contains any substance. Power cannot exist in such fashion. Time and time again, this stuff is common in mythology, but never makes an appearance in the real world. Their physical offerings, however, are worth a fortune. In this case, a legendary sword that rips off the identity of those who are cut down by it, locking them in a purgatory.”

“What the…”

“King? Power?”

“A sword, and stripping them away of their identity?”

“The story is like something straight from a fairy tale…”

The chattering ensued amongst the parlor at the thought of such a story. What he said sounded familiar to me. Sword? A sword? For some sort of reason, this reminds me of… Another legendary sword I know all too well.

“The… Kusa no Tsurugi…”

Velma must’ve heard my whisper as she glanced back at me.

“Huh? What was that, Junior?”

I didn’t have time to explain as we both jumped from the sudden bang downstairs—The man struck another piece of furniture with his sword, scattering fragments of its components everywhere onto the floor.

“No…”

It was the one I wished he hadn’t. This specific piece of furniture was one that I only discovered recently, one that caused so much laughter and entertainment in just a few short hours.

“The… piano…” It was gone. The whole instrument. Reduced to rubble. It was as if Velma’s performance yesterday didn’t even mean anything.

“What a deplorable state of affairs. It’s as if no brave men are left in this world. I refuse to wet my blade when there is nothing to be gained from it, but so be it. Let there be no ill-will to me slaughtering every single one of you one by one—”

“—Why, what the blazes was the purpose of that?” growled a deep voice followed by heavy footsteps, "Destroying public property like that is no more than a misdemeanor in law. But in the soul of an establishment it’s cold-blooded murder.”

That voice, it’s…!

“—Urk, old man!” Velma clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, “He’s gonna kill himself out there…!”

“Ho?”

A middle aged man walked straight up to the transgressor. “I ain’ gonna live my last few years knowin’ that the youth of today is going ‘round committing heinous crimes left and right.”

“If you got a death wish, old timer. Then so be it.” He pointed his blade to the elder.

“Then you wish not to obtain more information?”

The man’s eyes widened at his utterance, before narrowing soon after, “...You’re the informant?”

“Now, look here if you know what’s good for you,” the old man spoke without answering his question, “you cannot point your play things at others who ain’ related to your little matters. If you are willing to resort to any means necessary for your gain, then you are no better than a madman.”

“Either way, it seems that tactic worked. Here you are.”

Even with a weapon aimed to his head, the old man showed no signs of unease and spoke without strain. “The question is if you’ll behave well enough to deserve the location of this treasure. I may be blunt, but I at least care for the well-being ‘bout the business. Now what shall it be?”

“Hmph. I suppose you have the advantage here in terms of knowledge. This became an interesting development. Difficult as it may be to believe, I understand nothing’s gonna get past you. Very well, I shall lay down my weapon.”

With that, the glow of his sword diffused as he strapped in onto his back. For one who had threatened the lives of others, I didn’t think he would comply to his demand that easily.

“Now I must apologize,” the old man started, “You may not receive what you had initially set out for. Even I had a hard time breaking the code of this riddle.”

“A riddle?”

“That’s the extent of my knowledge of the matter, this thing is locked away in some literary verse. I’d wager it may be uncrackable.”

Sharp eyes cut to him. “Spill it.”

The old man cleared his throat. All of a sudden, the whole inn fell silent as he recited the verse.

“One who breaks the binds that serves the ruler

A beast wears a crown of bone

To ask its name shall be seen as truly worthy.”

“Interesting.”

“Indeed, It’s truly perplexing. But the big story I heard about the matter is the location. Apparently, it is said this ruler’s tomb resides in the same mountain that had wiped Sozuraka off the face of the world. As for how the riddle applies there, that is the true mystery to be solved. Now, that is all of what I know. If I were years younger like you, I’d suggest you should begin this investigation immediately.”

“...Very well. I shall take that into consideration. Thank you for your suggestion, old timer. It isn’t much, but I am grateful for the lead. ” The man said as he turned around facing the door. He began walking towards the exit until he stopped, “...and goodbye.”

The sound of the sword slicing through the air rang out… but the sound was only followed by the screams of the patrons. Instead of blood gushing and splattering, what came next was the release of a sharp metal sound, dissipating into the cracking and grinding of two blades connecting.

“—Woah there. Can’t have children being scarred for life this early in the morning.”

When I looked to my right, Velma had disappeared beside me; only a scatter of dust in the air filled the space where she last crouched. Down below, she had propelled herself between the man and the elder in a fraction of a second. Her blade halted his as she knelt below him—yellow sparks that exploded lit their faces.

“A woman? Hmph.” He sneered, completely unphased by the sudden block.

“Get outta here old geezer if you know what’s good for you!” she shouted behind her.

The old man froze for a second before collecting himself, “What had happened to this world since then, I swear…”

Having evacuated from the scene, there only remained the two locked in a power struggle. “By your looks, you seem to be part of that group, eh?” the man peered into her.

“...Shut up.”

“Now why would someone of your caliber be residing in some run-down inn such as this? Surely the times couldn’t be that bad.”

“I wonder in...DEED—”

Velma pivoted her foot, letting the man’s sword fall to the ground, following a swing of hers straight towards his neck.

“...!”

But it was useless as the man lurched backward, dodging her blade without a scratch inflicted.

“—That move you pulled off.” he quipped, “That can only be done from someone who knows first-hand what ‘techniques’ to use in a given situation.”

“...”

“Let’s get down to brass tacks. Inns are a cut-and-dried standard for regular citizens and explorers alike. But, it’s rare for an Alkain to be coasting around the Scandia region like this… unless they are out on some kind of mission. That can only mean you know about the sword as well.”

Velma remained silent. I’m sure she didn’t know what to say in response to his perfect guess of our intentions. I definitely wouldn’t have known what to do in her place.

“Who thought there would be others that are aware of the treasure?” he continued. As he spoke, the blade in his hand gave off a bright red glow, then… lightning emerged and surrounded the whole length of which.

“—Is that child peering through the deck railing up there aware as well?”

“...Oh no, JUNIOR—”

—It all happened in a single second. The sheer terror of Velma’s expression as she looked back to me, the unbelievable loud shriek of a blade slicing air, the deafening gasps of the patrons downstairs, the blinding flash of light… and my arm moving itself.

“...You froze my blade in the nick of time right before it was able to carve out your neck. Impressive.”

I was not conscious of what I just did. My body completely moved on its own. Before I even knew it, I had encased his blade in a pillar of ice just centimeters from me. The man stood on the railing with his hand clenched on the hilt, both of which turned blue and white from the frost that had covered them entirely. And it seemed the man was unable to budge it out of its cage.

—That was when Velma’s own blade smeared the air as her body casted a shadow over us. In that same moment, the man’s blade in ice had illuminated a bright red, eviscerating the cage and then proceeded to parry Velma’s attack.

“—Tch!”

“Well well, I’ve never seen quite a death stare before.” the man mocked.

She had once again jumped floors to reach the threat, and once again their weapons clashed, halting to a stalemate. Velma raised her leg for a kick and swung, but she only brushed up air. He pulled the same move from before: the man disappeared without a trace left behind.

“I got what I needed.” His voice came from down below, “I’m gonna get my hands on whatever is inside that tomb. I have the means, the will, and the reality to do so.”

I gulped. This was a man, one who had disturbed the peace and leaving with what he wanted, declared a sentence so boldly.

Velma, without giving chase, peered from above and opened her mouth to speak, “—Your name. Tell me your name.”

“Takeshi.” With that, he led himself through the front doors, leaving the inn in a state of complete disarray.

“...”

After a pause of silence, that was when Velma turned around and collapsed into me, inspecting me from head to toe. “Are you hurt?! Any injuries?!”

“I’m fine! I’m fine! Really I am…! —Ow, ow.” The way she was going about it, it was as if she's inflicting more harm than what the man had done. It seemed like Velma was taking out her anger on me rather than inspecting for injuries.

“Arrrgh! That fucker had the gall to point his blade at people like that…! Looks like there’s no avoiding a fight with that son of a… *Sigh* There are some bad apples out there that you should avoid.” she finally released her restraint on me, “Let’s go, Junior. We can’t have him getting his hands on the treasure before us. I promise, I’ll kick his ass the moment I get the chance to.”

Velma eventually let her irritation pass and fetched our gear from the room. In her doing so, it made time for the adrenaline to wear off and leave me processing what had just occurred. I could have died. My life could have ended in just a single instant just like that had I not froze his blade. Twice now that I could’ve perished, just like that… Just like that stormy day.

I headed down into the parlor to gaze over what remained of the piano. It was in shambles. The only thing recognizable was the black and white keys sprawled along the floor. It’s not fair. Just a few hours had it brought so much joy to the inn, causing so much laughter and cheers, and now, it was all gone. “Just when I got to know you…” I sighed and put my hands together.

“—Perhaps we should get the Admiral to bring her guard?”

“It’s better if we don’t. The distance is far too great.”

“Plus, we couldn’t possibly bother her with something so trivial as this.”

“Where are those stargazers when ya need em?! Useless fuckers…”

“Got a hunch they won’t waste resources on something they deem trivial as this.”

“You call that murderous intent trivial?! The bastard almost decapitated a child and an elder!”

As the patrons argued, the old man dusted off his flat cap that had fallen to the floor during the ordeal. “I am… terribly sorry for the trouble I caused to the inn.” the old man bowed to the innkeeper.

“Hey, hey it’s fine, luv. Ah, but the cost of repairs is gunna be something else…”

“Put it on my ‘tab’, if you will.”

“Really no need, I couldn’t possibly.”

After much pestering, the old man decided to leave it to the innkeeper’s wishes to handle the repair costs themselves. He turned around in defeat from the counter with a grunt.

“Looks like we both got done in here today.” he said to me after acknowledging my gaze, “He has not hurt you, correct?”

I nodded. “Not even a scratch. I... didn’t think there were such bad people out there.”

“Indeed. Truth be told, I believe it’s best not to be discouraged by their actions. Even what the young man has done to the inn, I give him no fault.”

“Really?”

“Takeshi, was his name? He may be at a loss for something to be so desperate to inflict pain on others. Trust me, I understand how someone can go down that path. I wouldn’t consider him as an enemy. I don’t consider anyone as an enemy.”

At this point, the old man’s words trailed off. From the long silence, he seemed to be mulling over in his mind as if he was going through the past. Eventually, he shook his head and headed towards a table yet to be destroyed.

“—huh…?” Without warning, the old man pressed a hand on his forehead and stumbled on his legs.

“S-Sir?!” I caught him by his torso and supported him, “Are you okay?” Oh, no is he alright? He just lost his balance all of a sudden and looked to be in pain for a second.

“Ah… Wha…”

“S-sir…?”

“Ah... Seems like the years are finally taking a toll on me.”

He definitely wasn’t in good condition. “We should go and sit down—”

“I… Oh, I apologize little one. Were you helping me walk to the hat hanger? Sorry for the strange demand, I’d rather keep my cap on my person.”

“Wha...” Something wasn’t right. The hanger? What did that have to do with anything? We were never on that subject. Plus, he was talking as if he wasn’t phased by everything that had just happened.

“Were you not scared, sir?”

“Of what?”

“That man…! He came in and destroyed that piano, then threatened everyone here—”

“Like I said, that was just a freak accident. And a man? Perhaps, that’s your active imagination you kids have. Either that or—”

I couldn’t help but take one step back. “Huh…? But the scary man… he just asked you of—”

“My dear,” sighed the old gentleman, “You need not be plagued by the past at such a young age. Let me tell you this, I have been deceived once before. The person whom I’ve bestowed my deepest love now rests beneath the soil. I feel strongly disposed to trust you, nevertheless. I only say this, because you have a young heart. Now, let me take my seat.”

“Wait, but...”

“Lass, whatcha blabbing about now? It’s dangerous to be near the wreckage.” another voice called out. Upon hearing, the sounds of glass, wood, and rubble in general combined with the movement of the patrons suddenly became strikingly apparent. This whole time during our talk, everyone was taking part in cleaning up the aftermath of the assailment.

“Whew, how did this table even collapse like that?”

“When you went ballistic after losing that one game of course. You’re lucky this ain’ coming out of your already empty pocket.”

“Need not remind me… And don’t jest like that.”

I didn’t even know what to say. Nothing was right here. Nothing made any sense. They were just cleaning up the mess without acknowledging the perpetrator who caused it in the first place. It was like the effect remained while the cause became erased, like that man, Takeshi, had disappeared from the world. Just… what exactly was happening?

“—Hey Junior. Let’s go.” Behind me, Velma had our burlap sacks slugged over her shoulders. As she coasted down the stairs, she was just about to toss mine until I opened my mouth.

“Miss, something strange is happening.”

“Oh? What’s happening?” She walked over to me, scanning the destruction of the room, “And drop the miss, please.”

“No one... remembers what just happened.” My throat felt strained as I told her, of which made her drop her casual tone.

“What do you mean ‘remember’?”

“Just look.”

It was then that a few seconds of watching the people causally gathering up the rubble made Velma arch a brow. “I see now… So that’s what that was.”

“Do you know what’s happening?”

“It’s just as you see it. Everyone lost their memories. And seems like it’s the point just before where that bastard waltz right in.”

Is that even possible? Everyone’s memories couldn’t just spontaneously disappear like that. It would take some supernatural occurrence for every single person in the room to just forget what had just happened—especially at such a specific point in time. No less was this a supernatural occurrence, something not normal in this world. Almost as if he had control over said phenomena. There’s nothing else in the world like it but...

“His Aoi.”

Velma nodded. “Correct.”

What a cruel ability to have. Holding something so unsightly would have caused me to become desperate to rid myself of it.

“If we’re gonna have a chance of beating him, then we gotta head out ASAP. Leave the mess to them, I’m sure they got it.”

“Alright...” Was it right for us? To leave and carry the memory of those that they were so robbed of? Why were the two of us spared when everyone else didn’t? I didn’t know. It didn’t feel right.

“—Little one.” the old man’s voice called out.

“Yes?”

“You are trembling.”

I was? I looked down. He was right. My own hands and my two legs were indeed shaking. The last time I shooked this much wasn’t that long ago, just yesterday when we passed by that stormy location. Perhaps it was thanks to that man, Takeshi, who terrorized the inn so mercilessly. But I knew deep down that I couldn’t just take knowing the impact he just had on the patrons, or the lack thereof. It felt so uncomfortable. Gnawing. Unfair.

“I once heard this from a comrade many, many years ago. I don’t remember his exact phrasing so I will paraphrase their words, but the message still remains true.” the old man continued, “Events in your past are like carvings on the bark of a young sapling. As time passes, the scar: the carving, won’t disappear. The nature of trees means that they cannot heal their wounds, but the scar itself cannot grow. You, however, can. You can keep growing, doing more things, growing more branches. The wound won’t get smaller, but you can make it a smaller part of who you are.”

His smile was warm, his manner of speaking was gentle, and he had a low, yet calm voice that seemed to resonate with me. Someday I might find use in those words.

“‘Course, if only those chess players would stop blabbering about their dang match, then maybe those two can actually grow a branch…”

I smiled. “Hehe. Thank you for the words, sir.”

“No, thank you for reminding me no one is alone on this journey through the roller coaster we call life. Life is unpredictable, but that’s what makes it worth living.”

・・・・・

“That old man seemed pretty nice.”

As we exited the inn and stood back onto the wet pavement of the port, we set our eyes south for Alkai, eventually finding ourselves back along the rocky bank of the Fairhaven river.

“Yeah.”

The weather felt as fresh as yesterday, yet, there was a lingering feeling that persisted as our feet pressed up against the rocks and pebbles.

“Miss, can I ask you something?”

When she looked back, she replied, “What is it?” with a casual tilt of her head.

“I’m sorry, but... has it gotten harder to walk?”

“Didn’t you just trek a whole mountain pass yesterday? Or are you saying you suddenly got unfit in the matter of a night?” she replied dryly.

Now wasn’t really the time to hear her sarcasm. Compared to the mountains of the Alps, this measly trail somehow felt more oppressive, like I’m being pinched in every direction. Was it merely because of the difference of altitude having an effect on me? Even putting aside that, there was another lingering feeling that gnawed at me. The tone of her response seemed forced. First, she didn’t correct me to say ‘Velma’ instead of ‘Miss’.

“Don’t make that face, Junior. It’ll stick onto you forever if you keep it.”

“I guess not…”

“If you're that worried that you're out of shape, let’s have a test to see if you can stay by my side until we get to Sozuraka.”

Guess it can’t be helped. With a pleasant smile, I nodded and picked up my pace to be shoulder to shoulder with her. In response, she kept her eyes forward and stayed silent without acknowledging the effort. But there was no way I could last an entire trek without going insane from this persistent ‘offness’. It was mild, but distracting enough that I had no choice but to complain about it.

I looked up to Velma’s face again—but immediately jolted my gaze forward. Chilling. That’s what I felt in that single moment. Never before have I seen Velma hold a face that caused my entire body to shake.

She had a look; a look of pure malice.