Time-lapse, part 1.
Summary: Once an innocent junior of the Demon Slayers, he fought alongside the ones he admired. Then, they were gone, and he lived alone in the world of demons for many years. One day, he meets several familiar faces, some having aged quite well, but some appeared as though they have not aged a day since he lost them.
Author's note: This was written a long while ago, back when the Rakshult map was new in the Japanese version, long before it came to Global. Since then, I've somewhat edited this to include Global translations. Considerably short, as you may have noticed. Second half to be posted in the future after editing is complete and I have drawn a cover for this particular story.
"Krantz! Take over the team for me and lead them out of this shithole! You lot better bring my reports home safe!"
"Krantz, Libera, Iris, Mirfah, Kafka! I'll deal with this freak! Take my reports and go! Don't lose a single one of them; those bums back home are gonna need them all!"
"You guys, take my reports. I'm going back to help that blockhead. He's gonna need me around to even stand a chance at beating that thing!"
"Iris… Krantz and I will take care of this demon. Take all of our reports with you. No matter what, you must get them back to the Hall. This information... Everything we had found in this world… it would decide the fate of Elgaia. We cannot die without getting this to the Hall."
I was lost.
I had no idea where was I walking to.
I thirsted, I starved, I bled.
I continued to trudge through the land of the dead, the demonic mana in the atmosphere exhausted me more than it helped.
It felt like walking through hell itself. Much like the thin air that one would breathe on top of a mountain, and the crushing pressure of the deep waters, put both of them together and add a bit of constant mana-draining to that, and that would be what it felt like, walking through Ishgria.
I had lost my weapons a long time ago.
The bond I once had with my Units were severed completely.
No longer was I able to sense their presence, their contracts shattering just as they were killed while I did not have enough mana in reserve to hold them any longer.
My memories were in fragments.
I was terrified, lonely, sick, and on the verge of dying.
I saw them…
I saw the horrifying mangled corpses of the ones I once admired and loved.
A middle-aged man with a rough beard framing his jawline, and an eyepatch over one eye, only slightly older than Lord Grahdens and Lord Owen, our supervisors, lay on the ground, covered in his blood and what I sensed to be a demon's blood. His sword, was stuck in the ground next to him, stained in blood, cracked, its spines broken.
Once a brash and headstrong man who led my team, his corpse was easily the most demoralizing to look at, but still, I held a slight shred of hope as I continued to search for the others whom he had sacrificed himself for.
After all, our Captain, Griff, who stayed back to duel against the demon with many arms, knew he was going to die. Still, from the burnt ground I saw around him, and the fact that he was covered in more than just his own blood, I believed that he died fighting. He did his absolute best in bringing down his enemies with him… Yes, it was just like him to go out blazing, blazing as much as he always did even as he lived.
A man who was dressed like a martial artist, the sides of his head shaved and his hair styled in a long mohawk, was on his back, limbs splayed out as he had a hole through the chest by... something, most likely large and may have even gorged his insides out. Though I almost retched at the gory sight, I was barely able to keep it in. Near him were gold metal fragments, along with some torn wires that littered the area, which I assumed to be another battlefield.
Rhoa, the cool big brother of the team, and still way smarter than his appearance implied… He seemed to have gotten involved with some sort of otherworldly technology in his last moments, the rubble around him vaguely resembling pieces of a broken robot. Blood traced with demons' mana signatures told me that Rhoa too, had gone down fighting.
Near Rhoa was a woman in a short purple dress, a mess of light blue hair completely obscuring her face. Still, the fallen remains of her snake familiar and the polearm that lay near her reminded me who I was looking at. Upon her exposed back were claw marks, and similar to Rhoa's, it looked as though someone… Or something… Had bored through her. On top of that, she had strange markings on her face, if that was not dried blood…
I could still sense the signs of a cataclysmic transformation that had occurred to her, filled with sinister energy that still radiated off her corpse. Was that what Kafka, the zealous researcher of dark magic techniques, had wanted? She and Rhoa… They seemed to have worked together as a team in their last moments, finally putting their frightening rivalry aside before they died. I could not bear to look at Kafka's dead form any longer, as I turned away and walked on to find the others.
Even if they were dead… I could possibly find something useful to take from their corpses...
Putting away the scraps of notes that they still held on them, I continued to search, seeking familiar life among my friends.
A once-elegant woman with jewels and flowers in her long blonde hair, decked out in ornate armor over her green dress, now a lifeless corpse covered in blood and torn apart by something horrifyingly, the only conclusion I could get as I stared at her, aghast, all reason gone from my mind. My world had crumbled apart, seeing my seniors lying dead before me, despite having been named the elites of the Akras Summoners' Hall. Her sword lay just out of her reach, her outstretched left arm marked with black, purple and red, bent in bizarre ways, the vambrace that once protected it completely shattered.
Senior Libera… She was one of the greatest in my eyes, always touted as the role model for all of Akras. Daring and observant, she always returned with more useful intel about Grand Gaia after going on her survey missions. Seeing her lie on the ground, her face obscured by her hair and blood, I felt a sense of hopelessness.
Griff, Rhoa, Kafka, Libera… What of Iris? And Krantz? My mind had convinced itself that they were both dead as well, but I remembered that I was with Iris, Libera and Krantz when a demon attacked…
As rocks and blasts of demonic energy fell and tore through the area, I had backed away in an attempt to dodge them, and then…
And then…
The cries for my name, far more desperate than I have ever heard them. Their urgent cries for Iris to run, to run back to Elgaia with the reports about Ishgria.
All the while attempting to console me through the debris that they would have reinforcements help them shortly. I was trapped, at the bottom of a slope, buried under rocks that had fallen from the attack. The last thing I saw was Libera pointing in another direction, to which she and Krantz then parted ways, and the roar of a demon being the last thing I heard before I lost my consciousness.
A few paces further, I walked, futilely praying to find life…
And my legs lost their last bit of strength, drained from my exhaustion and my shock as I saw the familiar yet unfamiliar… thing… before me.
Red hair, darkened by blood, stuck to the face covered in dirt. Cuts on his face disfigured the once clean look he had, as he lay on his back, one hand on his chest, covering an obvious wound while his left was sprawled on the ground, broadsword still in hand. His once shining armor was coated with dirt, blood, and some other strange grimy matter that resembled neither of the first two. Cracked in several places, and under them were gaping wounds that had long bled out. Though his eyes were covered by his messy hair, his mouth hung open, a trail of blood down the corners, frozen in an eternal scream.
Much like him, I too, was frozen in shock. And in disbelief. And in denial.
Tears fell out of my eyes, as I recognized the disfigured corpse of my best friend.
Among the Ishgria Recon Team, he was the only one who actively doted on me, as though I was his brother. Krantz, the second youngest in the group, was kind, and hopeful, his positivity contagious. On top of that, he was brave and strong, having led our team after Senior Griff stayed back…
Falling to my knees, disregarding my surroundings completely, I wept, accepting that I was left all alone without anyone to trust.
Guilt shook me. I believed this to be all my fault.
"No, Krantz, this is a mission that only you six have been specially trained for! You cannot bring another Summoner along!"
"Supervisors, please, Mirfah is our best friend! Besides, he is the leader of the Demon Slayers 10th division. Surely that speaks volumes of his strength and capabilities?"
"Krantz, you and the rest of the Ishgria Recon Team are leaders of your Demon Slayer divisions too, are you not? Surely you understand, that by going on this mission with an undetermined time span, you would potentially be leaving the Demon Slayer divisions alone without management?"
"So what? You two, along with Warlon, have the first three Demon Slayer divisions. It's not like the Akras Summoners' Hall has had any other large-scale missions besides this one that would require an entire group of Demon Slayer captains. Come on, one extra team mate will help."
"No, Krantz. No can do. He was promoted only a few days ago. There's no way he's experienced enough for this mission."
"I promise to take full responsibility for him! Please, commanders Grahdens and Owen, this would make for a wonderful learning experience for him! Plus, he's always wanted to be able to come along on a mission with the team! You saw how he always hung around during our training sessions! He's been wanting to join the team since months ago!"
"..."
"…"
"…"
"... Is that a yes?"
"…"
"… Th-thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Mirfah will be so happy to hear about this! The Ishgria Recon Team and I swear that we'll protect Mirfah and ensure that we return home safely!"
"Hohoho, your determination is truly amazing. But yes, Owen and I believe that you can handle this mission. If anything, you must be able to teach Mirfah while you're at it. He is still so young and cute, even moreso than you and pretty little Libera. Do take care of your junior, okay?"
"Yes, supervisors Grahdens and Owen. I will!"
If only I had not come along.
I remembered, in the middle of the confrontations with the demons, Krantz always focused on my safety instead of fighting.
As the red demon with a fiery mane and many arms charged at us, Griff dashed forth, ready to meet all of the demon's weapons with his one sword, as I stood behind the commander Griff, and within the same instant after Griff was flung aside, Krantz was next to me in an instant, pulling me aside while Iris began to attack the demon.
Then, as the strange otherworldly being charged at us, Kafka fired a blast of Dark energy from her glaive while Rhoa detached his pole to nun-chucks, swinging them to fire lightning bolts as volatile as his movements, the two of them double-teaming the demon, as their Units fired off their own attacks, doubling up the Dark and Thunder elemental attacks from their Summoners.
All the while telling me to run.
Even as the brave Demon Slayers fought the demons, the look of fear was plastered upon their faces.
They were terrified. They were already covered in wounds as we tried to find our way out of Ishgria. But they refused to show it to me.
I saw Kafka, lying on the ground after a crash landing from being flung by the demon, as Libera ran over to her, readying a healing spell.
"I… I'm fine! Libera, conserve your energy! Use it for yourself and Mirfah!" Kafka raised a hand to push Libera's own away.
"But Kafka! You can't-"
"Relax… I'll be fine."
I had no idea what Libera's expression was supposed to be, but she gave Kafka a serious look, one that was a mix of sadness, pity, and anger, "Kafka… Please don't activate the demonic powers that you were experimenting with. We still have no idea what it would do if you activated it."
"Ha, don't sweat it. I would never try out an untested power in the heat of combat."
That was all Kafka said before dashing back into the fray, taking over for Rhoa as he was struck again, only to get up once more to continue the battle while Libera and Krantz pulled me away.
Kafka lied.
I recalled seeing the monstrous features on Kafka's corpse. The demonic markings on her face. The snake's bone plates that covered her body. The ominous aura that her weapon held. Her half-open eye had black sclera. She resembled a monster.
Tears continued to pour from my eyes, as I knelt down by Krantz's corpse before I stood up again. They told me… I had to stay alive no matter what. Reinforcements would come for us. We simply had to wait.
Perhaps… If I found the gate by myself, I would run into the reinforcements.
But… They would need the reports of our findings in Ishgria. We had to have succeeded our mission in some way. And as I checked the corpses earlier, none of them had the reports. I still had no idea where senior Iris was, so she was the most likely to have them, and hopefully she would still be alive.
If I could just find her, in this hellish world, maybe she would bring about our salvation.
It hurt.
I was in too much pain from my sustained injuries, but I was too drained of mana at the same time to even think about healing them.
Feeling the need to restore my mana, one way or another, I had started seeking whatever radiated mana that was hopefully safe to absorb. The demonic atmosphere all around me was mostly likely filled with energy, that much I knew as I could feel the pressure around me, but it was not the kind of energy that a human such as myself could safely absorb.
I have wandered far from the corpses of my teammates, and as I looked around me, I was certain that I had by then gone to another region. Exactly which one, I had no idea.
All around me, still, was what resembled a forest. The plants, for the most part, appeared much like the ones found in Elgaia and Grand Gaia, but at the same time, appeared considerably more alien than the ones I was accustomed to seeing. Odd-colored spots covered their stems and leaves, while their buds glowed ominously in the dark, the stalks growing in weird shapes. Though I saw the fruits and was tempted to try them, for I was definitely starving, I decided against it. The creatures I have seen in Ishgria so far have largely been monstrous beings that were nightmare incarnate.
Perhaps the flora here was just as scary.
Passing the forest, I walked out to a barren clearing, which was mostly red, with a tiny spot of blue-
I looked closer, and realized that was a head of blue hair in the distance. Light blue hair, that when it flitted about in the breeze, would have looked like calm rippling waters in the rivers of Elgaia...
The blood stains that surrounded the head, however, as I looked closer, I noticed that there was...
"N-no... No, it can't be... I... Iris...?"
To be continued.