When Cedric woke up at the same rum-sodden table, it was already dark out. As he slowly turned his head upward and gazed around the cozy tent, he saw Dagan and the other three lounging in front of a small fire pit, looking half-asleep.

Just as he wondered where Quentle was, he was being tapped on the shoulder. Yawning, he turned around to see the boy wearing a solid black cloak that somewhat hid his spear in his back, and holding another cloak out toward him while mischievously motioning for him to keep quiet. He stood up without questioning him, wrapped the cloak around him, and began to follow him out of the tent.

“You bet’r wathcher selves out ‘ere, dammit,” Dagan grumbled without moving from his wooden chair, freezing the two where the stood.

“Be back later, Master,” Quentle replied with a smirk. “Don’t burn the tent down while I’m out, hehe.”

With that, they departed, and made off through the dimly lit back alleys of Market Town. As they approached the alleyway where he’d had an awkward run in the night before, Cedric looked around warily, gripping the new knife he’d just bought from Thom.

This time, there were no issues. Even as he begrudgingly led the way down the forked path where he’d first run into the specter, there were no signs of anybody or anything. As such, they were able to sneak their way through Castle Town with ease, and found themselves entering the ruins together for the second straight night.

“Ya know, Quentle,” Cedric finally spoke the first words between the two the whole way to this point, “I think I understand now what you mentioned last night.”

“Ooh? What’s that?”

“The ruins…tonight, seeing them fills me with anger. Even though Garik worked so hard, this happened due to our selfish leaders focusing only on Castle Town.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true when you look at it that way...”

“I won’t let this kind of thing happen again on our soil. Let’s make our move tonight, so that it doesn’t.”

“Heh, you don’t have to tell me. Though, I have no idea what’s going to happen tonight, but no matter which one of us it is…let’s make sure all of us make it to the beach in time to celebrate a victory.”

With the solid sound of their fists thumping together, the two continued briskly into the heart of the ruins.

“Well, he at least didn’t come to get early practice this time, or his ‘early practice’ wasn’t here at all,” Quentle remarked, sitting down at the bench under the empty awning.

“Well for now I guess we’ll just wait. The others are coming too, this time. If he doesn’t get here soon, though…”

“Yeah,” Quentle answered calmly.

And so, they waited, until the five other boys showed up together some ten minutes later.

“Oy ya scoundrels, kept us waiting, ya know?” Quentle greeted the group in his usual style.

“Hey guys,” Cedric added with a smirk. “Didn’t bring Mel with ya, huh?”

“I talked to him in our village after lessons, said he’d probably be a little late,” Farum replied, brandishing a bow and quiver of arrows. “Asked me to bring along his stuff in case we needed to start without him.”

“Ahh… you guys haven’t seen him, have you?” Cedric asked, looking at the other four.

“Not since class, no,” the articulate Berd responded.

“Same, been with Berd all day,” Kaolo added, his hands on his head.

“Uh, we saw Mel heading out from the Cillavier household well after lessons.” Geraint spoke up, looking somewhat out of place.

“Yeah, it looked like he was heading toward the back exit that goes right into the forest,” his brother Jorge added with an interested look.

Cedric glanced quickly in Quentle’s direction, only to see him directing his focus elsewhere.

“Hey, Farum, lemme see that bow,” the frivolous boy plainly requested, grabbing a hold of Mel’s bow before Farum could extend it toward him.

“What is it, Quentle?”

“Look at this, Cedric,” Quentle ushered him over, staring intently at the thin yew curve.

“Huh...is that?”

Quentle peeled a thin sheet of parchment from around the bow’s curve, where it was tightly wrapped and stuck with sap. Cedric looked on as the paper unraveled, and the two read the words inked onto it together in a whisper.

Cedric and Quentle looked with wide eyes at one another.

“We never should have waited here!” Cedric exclaimed, leaping out from the awning.

“I know! Let’s go!” Quentle replied, crushing the parchment in his hand and taking off after him.

“Hey, where the hell are you two going?!” Berd yelled at their backs.

“Sorry guys, game’s cancelled tonight! Go home, and please, don’t tell anyone about this!” Quentle shouted back as they reached full sprint within the ruined village.

It only took several minutes for the two to race beyond the ruins and into the forest. Neither knowing their way around the off-limits forest, they just continued running in a straight line, forced to slow slightly due to the density of the fir trees.

“Oh, by the way!” Cedric panted as he ran, “The rumor about wolves in the forest is apparently true.”

“You tell me that now?”

“Sorry, forgot!”

“Who forgets something like that? All you think about is war, isn’t it?”

“Shut up and run, ruffian! Look, you’re falling behind!”

“Now you’ve done it, Wardric! I’m gonna beat you so hard your stupid hair will stop sticking up like a cow licked you every day for a year!”

“Good luck, with that dinky spear! Maybe one day you’ll actually be tall enough to use it properly!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m short, I applaud your creativity. Hey, speaking of wolves, you know this could very easily be a trap, right?”

“Of course, I do. But I also know that that was, without a doubt, Mel’s handwriting! And either way, we already decided tonight would be the night…”

“Yeah, we did!” Quentle’s tone shifted back as he looked ahead with certainty. Seeing this, Cedric followed suit, gritting his teeth and speeding ahead of his friend.

Suddenly, in the distance, a figure appeared in the direction they were headed. As the two drew nearer to the figure, they exchanged a quick glance. Quentle bore a gleam in his eyes that conveyed his strategy flawlessly. Cedric, understanding his intention, slowed down to let him take the lead, and concentrated on observing the person standing in their way.

Now in closer proximity, he had a better view of the man, whose light brown cloak and winding robes made him seem like a part of the forest. Just as he spotted the dirty blonde locks peeking out from his hood, the man raised his left arm in a familiar motion. However, instead of steam rising from his arm, a cold, hollow aura poured throughout the area. Around him, a dense fog emanated, shrouding him further in shadow. However, the rushing Quentle was unperturbed, and thrust his spear at the fog fiercely, aiming for the man’s right side. As a chunk of the fog dissipated, the man slipped out from Quentle’s attack, seemingly relaxed.

This forced him to slip to his left to avoid Quentle’s aggressive attack, in a spot Cedric had been targeting, waiting for Quentle to lead him into his range. He could now see his thin, tall figure and dazzling blonde curls.

“BLONDE BANDIT!!!”

Cedric swung his small knife at the spot the man’s momentum was taking him to. It was a strike loaded with nothing but anger for what this mysterious, lax young man had caused inside the walls, even if he didn’t understand what the man was doing at this place or how he was involved in all this. As his blade thrust wildly forward, he realized that this kind of unfocused, rage-driven attack was not the kind that Valblin had taught him to execute, nor did it have what he now knew was necessary to truly fight on the battlefield.

Unsurprisingly, the young man twisted his way out of danger, a corner of his mouth curling amidst his freckled face that became clearer when his low, acrobatic dodge caused his hood to suspend itself momentarily.

As Cedric turned to follow his movements, the bandit had already whipped around, and was winding up a strike of his own. Around his reared back right arm, a billow of fog concentrated into a sword-length swirl, before thrashing toward Cedric like a crushing wave as the man threw his arm violently forward.

Instinctively, Cedric lunged forward into a half dive, just avoiding the rush of energy, which spread out wildly over his head and cut down several low-hanging thin tree branches. Quentle, several meters away from the wave’s impact, stared in shock.

Cedric quickly turned back to re-posture himself against the mysterious enemy, but only a thick haze remained where he’d just been. As he looked around in a panic, the haze grew, until it had spread nearly completely around them. At that moment, something happened.

Like a gear had been turned with sudden force, the fogged world around them turned into an evanescent void. Cedric felt as though his heart had suddenly beat with tremendous force, and all that was left for the world to observe was the reverberating tremor of that one pounding beat. He knew everything would be fine once the beat had ended and returned to a normal pace, that the feeling was only allowed to be temporary, but the unease it brought felt like a dream in slow motion.

“Cedric!” Quentle’s voice resonated slowly as if he was underwater.

“Ignore it, keep going!” Cedric bellowed back, his own voice feeling muffled as well.

Gathering themselves, the boys took off in the same direction they’d been going in, now running even harder in order to escape the vast aura of disquiet. They both felt like they were being pursued by something threatening, but also knew that they could be running right into a trap. However, knowing the goal was ahead, they pushed forward, battling the ominous sensation with gnashed teeth and clenched fists.

Eventually, Cedric could make out vague footsteps tapping somewhere around them. Concentrating on the sound, he noticed two sets, one coming from each side of their path. He continued running in a dead sprint, keeping his eyes peeled for an incoming attack from either side.

However, what came was not from either side, but on the ground behind him. He just heard it whipping through the grass, in time to turn and brace for the impact.

Though, all he needed to brace was his left foot, as the incoming rope served only to wrap around his ankle momentarily before slipping off.

Or, that’s what he’d thought would happen. Instead, the rope tightened into a strong coil, like a snake constricting around its prey. He watched in shock as it wrapped around itself like an animate object, the same mist-like particles rising sparsely from it as before.

Forced to react quickly, Cedric bent himself backward, slashing the knife through the rope just as it began to pull his leg back. Not bothering to watch the cut rope trail behind him, he staggered forward before re-gaining his footing. Just as he had focused his eyes ahead and grazed by a tree branch, another rope came from his right side, snapping precisely around his wrist. He reacted just as quickly as it came, cutting it with a swift movement.

While his focus was on his right side, though, the next attack came. This time, a person came from within the trees, darting at Cedric’s left side like an arrow. The petite, hooded person cut through the space between them in a midair crouch, baring a dagger with firm hands beside her head.

With only a meter’s length between the blade and his face, Cedric drew from his practice, gripping his knife with both hands, positioning it inverted with his right hand. Throwing his momentum from his right forearm into his left elbow, he met the dagger strongly, enough to skew its path. The blade ran down his forearm to his elbow, opening a long cut. At the same time, the attacker had kicked their right foot off his shoulder, jumping into a front flip before disappearing into the trees above.

Not waiting to engage with this enemy further, Cedric continued running. Checking the distance between Quentle and himself, he noticed his comrade turning his gaze back ahead. He’d gotten well ahead, not slowing in the slightest as the enemy seemed intent to target Cedric. Seeing this, Cedric chuckled through a half-grin.

The next attack came exactly where Cedric expected it. From his right, another petite-bodied attacker soared at him, their trajectory taking them toward his right flank with a dagger sloppily positioned compared to the first one. Holding the knife in the same positon as before, Cedric thrust his momentum from his left shoulder into his bleeding right forearm, swiping the inverted knife across his body closely, while turning into the strike.

The dagger clanged out of the attacker’s grip, the impact of the blow tossing their hood slightly upward to reveal fierce green eyes amidst a femininely shaped face. The girl’s tied up golden hair appeared briefly, the thin wisps of her bangs shuddering as she sailed downward, behind Cedric’s twisting body.

She fell violently into the grass, and skidded between a line of trees before disappearing. Not missing a beat, Cedric swiveled back around and pressed on through bated breath.

This time, he looked ahead to see Quentle reaching an end to the long forest. Allowing his face to light up with excitement, he followed him through the last patch of more widely spread trees. The large opening on the other side came into view, and just as Cedric surveyed the round lake and small centric landmass housing a bright red sword, a figure appeared from far above the last few trees in front of them, descending upon the scene doused in scattered moonlight.

The same young man as before, equipped with two ropes stemming from within his sleeves, turned to face them as he glided toward the lake. Not five meters away from a collision, Quentle attempted to curb his momentum while raising his spear.

However, just before the boy could ready his spear appropriately, the man had whipped both ropes at him. As the ropes snapped tightly around Quentle’s rising wrists, the man’s momentum halted. Before he fell into the water, the man somehow produced more of the strange fog at his left side, and somehow slid diagonally across it as if a gust of wind had pushed him to the side, changing his trajectory. Now with a better angle, the man tugged on his ropes, steering himself into the grass with a handcuffed Quentle as a base.

The energetic boy, however, showed with a gleam in his eye that he wouldn’t let himself become incapacitated by the situation. As the man prepared to skid comfortably into the grass a few meters away, Quentle jerked the ropes to his side with a furious roar. The man grimaced in surprise before crashing into the grass, his trajectory now heading closer toward Quentle and directly into a thick tree.

Right before he crashed violently into the tree’s trunk, the man managed to launch a short swipe of the same concentrated energy he’d thrown at Cedric. Flying toward Quentle’s bent legs like a scattered boomerang, the projectile fog slashed into his shins and knees. The pieces that missed him dashed into the ground, kicking up earth as Quentle buckled with a shout, blood leaping from his gashed legs.

Finally, Cedric bounded into the scene, approaching the downed Quentle, who grasped his bleeding legs with an annoyed look.

“Quentle!!” He cried, several strides away.

“I’M FINE!! JUST GO, DAMMIT!!!”

As Quentle yelled with a pained face, Cedric noticed the mysterious man begin to crawl back up beside the shaking tree.

I just have to trust him…

Quentle, I accept your resolve!

He strode past the injured boy, who was already using his spear to prop himself up on one knee, face contorted in anger.

As he passed by Quentle’s turned back, the two boys outstretched their left arms from opposite angles, thumping each other’s backs. The impact was brief, but pushed them both forward with certainty.

Cedric focused solely on what was ahead, on the illuminated red sword stuck firmly into the earth. Without hesitation, he dove into the water head first.

Under water, he heard no sound, and thought of nothing except moving forward toward his goal, his saving grace. He had never practiced swimming much, but he felt in that moment like he’d been born to swim through this water.

Keeping the presence of mind to stay under water in case of another rope attack, he focused his eyes on the landmass ahead, until finally-

“Guhh!”

-he reached it.

Gasping, he pulled himself onto the tiny patch of land, uprooting handfuls of grass as he lunged forward. Just steps away, he extended an arm toward the red sword, the relic shard from the bloody tale that disgusted him so much.

Even if Velagoras’ presence disturbed him deeply, he’d already decided- the original Shlank Heir’s sword would be used to save the Teutons.

It’s finely encrusted hilt felt cold to the touch, as if the relic had been stuck in the oppressive void he’d just felt in the forest. However, it quickly grew warm as he gripped it with both hands and, in one swift movement, wrenched it up from the earth.

In that moment-

“Hahaha…..hahahahaha-hahaha-ha….hahahaha-hahahahahahaha….”

A shrill laugh echoed from within the sword’s blade, as red light burst from the ground the sword protruded from, along with a roaring sound that shook the entire forest.

_____

The second night’s shoreline battlefield was proceeding in similar manner to the previous one. The only large difference was that the infantry Go had been able to establish a solid formation with their V-shields, allowing the front lines to control the middle of the beach for some time. Eventually, the flagship suddenly pulled out and made for the eastern shores, followed by most of the fleet, and all the cavalry on shore. Thus, a drawn-out battle between infantry units had ensued.

“Why do you think the big shots pulled out so suddenly, Galg?” Ralin asked, taking a brief rest against the V-shield.

“Not sure, but I’d guess they plan to surprise Hydrick and Al’s armies,” Galgi answered, tending to a wounded shoulder while peeking out over the shield to observe the battle.

At that moment, a momentous roar echoed from the forest, and Galgi and Ralin looked up from behind their V-shield, apprehension plastered on their faces.

“What…. was that? Don’t tell me…”

“Could it be….Cedo…? Did he do it?!”

___________

To the east, messengers had just arrived with news of the approaching Wolverine army. Al stood atop the wall’s ridge, staring out to sea. Next to him stood a heavily armored man around the same age, whose thin face and sleek long blonde hair contrasted his bulky appearance.

“Do they really think they can catch us off guard just like that? We’ve been waiting for this all night, haha!” Al smirked, turning toward the armored man.

Just then, a bellowing noise came from the forest, and a slight gust of wind blew the man’s thick green cape about as the two men turned their gazes in wonder.

“Hah! Guess the kid took matters into his own hands, after all. Say, Hyd, looks like someone finally brought it back into action. What do you imagine your brother would be thinking? Valblin told me to leave it alone for now, so this has to be a part of the grand plan, huh?”

“I’m sure Hedric would want to watch closely, to see if this person is truly worthy of being the Heir,” Hydrick responded sternly, raising his fine silver helmet over his head. “Watch me closely as well, brother. Even if your Heir disappoints, I shall not.”

_______

The half-open window of the apothecary ward shuddered as the forest roared in the distance. Tess, who had been staring out of it toward the empty castle courtyard with her chin in her hands, stood up with a grimace.

_______

In the streets of Castle Town, two men walked leisurely together. Master Valblin and Master Gambell, upon hearing the rumbling from the forest, stopped in their tracks.

“Well, well, it seems the time has come, Headmaster.”

“Hohh? I wonder which of our brave young lads it is? Though, this is only the opening of the first door. Now we watch to see the first step. Hoh… I wonder, just what kind of resolve will this Heir show us?”

______

Deep in the trembling forest, not far from the cause of the sound, a group of twenty men donning red and brown uniforms ran, heading full speed for the lake at the center of the forest.

Running ahead of the rest, a broad-shouldered boy with jet black hair grew wide eyed in excitement upon spotting the moonlit lake.

“Ah, this is it! We’ve made it all the way here, and just in time, young Lord Velgo!” A man behind him exclaimed through bated breath. The boy stopped and took big breaths, staring viciously at the boy holding the red sword, engulfed in a bright red light.

“These damned frauds…. Let’s go, men. It’s time to take back what’s ours.”

______

On the side of the lake closest to the border wall, a tall man led thirty battle-worn men, their red-gold uniforms covered in dirt, near the lake.

“Uh, Lieutenant Suguile, are those…Shlanks?” a soldier asked.

“Pay them no mind for now,” the uninjured man replied in a cold voice.

“Our target is right before our eyes.”

______

On the other side of the lake, another boy watched closely as the scarlet waves of light swiveled around the boy holding the uprooted sword. Mel’s eyes bore a melancholic resolve as he stared unwaveringly while his friend struggled. Several meters away, a defeated Quentle watched with wide eyes, restrained by the bandit’s ropes.

On the small patch of island, Cedric was on the verge of being swallowed by the vortex of bouncing red light. It was consuming him like the relentless energy of a thousand raging soldiers. Within the light emanating from the sword itself, voices rang loudly.

“Hahaha-hahahahaha…..hahahah-hahahahaha-aha……”

“……….”

“…..rgh…”

A different voice groaned in pain.

“…….gahh-h….”

“Shu…..ant…..”

Then a splashing sound, resulting in a muffled voice.

“You…guh!...who have drawn the sword….”

The submerged voice struggled to speak through what sounded like bloody coughs.

“You must use this sword…. gather the remaining shards…only then can Shuant… be defeated….”

Cedric listened closely, fighting to keep the light from suffocating him.

“Only then…can the Teutons be saved.”

Cedric felt his own light within him burst at these words. Pushing the endlessly encompassing red light off himself for a moment, he turned to see a man climbing onto the small patch of island.

The familiar man, whose soaked and worn down red-gold uniform flapped in the artificial wind, began laughing maniacally.

So Mel’s father was lying…

That confirms it, then…

“So it was you!! Hahahaha, I can’t believe you were the one! I nearly killed you, and yet you end up giving me the sword yourself! Hahahahahahaha, I didn’t even need the damn contact!” The man ranted on, a savagely excited look in his eyes. Without a care, he approached the whirlwind of red light, even though the wind it was throwing about made every attempt to push him back.

The look in his eyes felt daunting to Cedric, even in the situation he was already in. He knew just how relentless this man was, even if injured. Part of him hoped that the red light would obliterate the man before he could reach him, reprieving him from having to struggle any more than he already was.

However-

The man stepped into the light without issue, and had begun to lunge wildly at him with his short sword.

Cedric recalled his previous meeting with the man, and the most recent engagements with the bandits. He thought about what he’d lacked in his attacks.

I can’t hesitate any longer.

If I’m going to be a knight…

If I’m going to be the Heir…

If I really intend to fight….

I must have the intent…

….TO KILL!

Battling the suppressing light with gnashed teeth, Cedric took a firm step forward, loaded up strongly from his right hip, and executed a swift dash across the man’s right side. Taking advantage of the sword’s longer reach, he delivered a precise blow through his ribcage, cutting through him before his short sword could close the distance.

The man, having lost his momentum, was pushed outside of the light, and crumpled near the edge of the island. He turned toward Cedric, mouth open with shock and blood.

“You…what…are you….”

“I’m Cedric Cintog. Just a brat playing knight.”

From his left knee, Cedric whipped the slightly bloodied sword around his shoulder. A wave of the red light dissipated, blowing outward like a strong wind. The wind carried the fallen man, sending him skipping across the water like a small rock, before scattering him across a thicket of trees.

This fierce energy…

Whether it’s Velagoras’ Will, or something else…

It doesn’t matter.

If it will help save the Teutons…I’ll use it for myself.

His confidence now bolstered, he then stood tall and thrust the sword upward with both hands, roaring as he fought against the light swirling overhead.

“UohHHHHHHH!!!”

This time, he sent the incessantly revolving light skyward, a solid red line bursting toward the Dome’s ceiling. Instead of fighting to keep it from suffocating him, he controlled the light with the sword, directing all the energy upward in one crushing blow.

_________

On the western beach battlefront, Galgi and Ralin’s squads were fighting fiercely on the far side of the beach where the scattered enemy forces were the most concentrated, when an enemy galleon returned suddenly to the shore from the east.

The group, carrying two V-shields as they fought, were forced to act quickly. They had been holding their own against the infantry soldiers, but now they found themselves caught between infantrymen and a bombarding galleon.

Taking fire, the men closed their V-shields together, while Ralin, escorted by Galgi and Filipe, lugged a wheeled ballista unit back to their V-shields. The men quickly gathered some loose ballista arrows, and returned just in time.

The shields closed tightly just as cannon fire struck the shields with crushing ferocity. Galgi was thrown back from his scouting position, along with several others holding the shield. They looked at each other in desperation as several enemy infantrymen began crawling over the shield.

At that moment, a momentous red light streaked into the sky behind them. They looked on as the blaring light quickly reached the dome, and with a thunderous crack, pierced through it.

The light then dispersed, only briefly braking through the dome, and fell in every direction like fireworks. The men looked upon the glowing night’s sky in shock, their faces shaded scarlet.

“Cedric...?”

“Is that…seriously Cedo?”

“It…it has to be!”

“Hahaha! If Cedric can do something like that, what the hell are we doing looking like this?”

“You’re right, Ral. Let’s keep fighting till the end, men!”

“UuoHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The men rose, reinvigorated, and held the shields up with all their strength. Filipe and Simon climbed the shield’s back, engaging with the soldiers attempting to get in. Galgi took his place over the edge of the shield, and began shouting direction to Ralin, who began slinging ballista arrows with rapid concession.

Eventually, the crossfire erupted into flames, which engulfed the beach battlefront.

___________

The flames from the beach, along with the shower of red light, reached the eyes of those fighting further down the beach, where the battle had grown even more intense than the night before. Al led a unit of cavalry through the nose of the enemy formation with a piercing battle cry upon seeing the spectacle of light.

Two other men steadied their still horses in the middle of the battlefield, glancing shortly at the show of light before returning their red-glowed helmets toward each other. The green-clad Teutonic knight gripped his broad sword with authority, while the red-capped Red Wolf general held his long sword in trembling hands, his mien emanating an unshakable fury.

__________

As the scattered red light fell gloriously from the sky, the two school teachers halted their walk, gazing with mystified expressions.

“Hoho! To be young and energetic!”

“Headmaster…I wonder who it was, to make this happen...”

“Hoh, I have an idea. Just think, Master Gambell, there are people from every state watching this scene with vested interest, wondering where things will go from here. Wolverines, Shlanks, Gleazons, mm, even the Snarilians and Black Shlanks. Indeed, our young lad has gotten the ball rolling with a magnificent start, and declared to the other states that the Teutons are still here, fighting. Hoho, verything only begins from here, after all.”

_________

Cedric finally lowered the glowing red sword to his chest, a few remaining sparks of energy jumping off him like static electricity. As the red light fell throughout the sky, no longer in the lake’s vicinity, he beheld his surroundings briefly, before focusing his eyes on one person.

He was aware of the group of Shlanks standing on the other side of the lake behind him. He was also aware of the group of Red Wolves emerging from the forest to his left. He was even aware of the lone noble girl whose presence nobody else had noticed, hiding behind a tree to the right.

However, the only corner of the lake’s opening he cared about right now was the one directly ahead of him. Quentle still struggled furiously, bound by ropes while the three bandits leaned leisurely on nearby trees. In front of them, at the edge of the grass, stood his lanky, blonde headed friend. His hair shadowed much of his face, but he read the expression on his face perfectly nonetheless. He wasn’t backing down from his ideals, the traitorous beliefs he inherited from his father, which betrayed every fiber of their friendship.

Cedric, as well, would not back down from his ideals, as empty and naïve as he knew they still were. Therefore, he pointed his newly acquired red sword across the moonlit lake at his friend, a look of fierce conviction and anger on his face as he bellowed out.

“MEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL!!!”

_________